FEMA rep describes Joplin response, radio communications complications
Carolyn Stonner, public-information specialist with FEMA Region VII, describes conditions on the ground, explains FEMA's role in the tornado response, and discusses radio communications complications, as the tornado destroyed infrastructure.
After the EF-5 tornado lifted, first responders in Joplin, Mo., called on local mutual-aid pacts to begin the grueling task of looking for survivors and clearing debris. The city also called on FEMA Region VII coordinators to help manage outside resources.
Carolyn Stonner is a public-information specialist with Region VII. She joined FIRE CHIEF Associate Editor Mary Rose Roberts to describe conditions on the ground and explain FEMA’s role in the response, when federal resources reached the area and which teams were sent. Stonner also discussed radio communications complications, as the tornado destroyed infrastructure, and how fire chiefs can work with the agency prior to natural disasters to improve response and better serve the community.