Sending people and supplies into the field in advance of a storm -- regardless of whether it's expected to make a severe impact -- is one of
the major operational changes made by FEMA in the wake of its botched response to Hurricane Katrina. Such deployments are made without formal disaster requests by governors, but state officials must agree to allow federal personnel to join them at state emergency operation centers.
Homeland Security Secretary
Janet Napolitano and FEMA Administrator
Craig Fugate briefed President Obama by telephone about the federal government's coordination with local and state governments, the White House said.
Fugate, an avid social media user, regularly reminds Americans to use his agency's
Twitter,
Facebook and
YouTube channels for tips and to stay tuned to local news outlets for storm updates.
Meanwhile, the government's main weather Web site
appears to be suffering from an influx of traffic.
Weather.gov, operated by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has slowed, according to a spokesman. No further details were immediately available, but some users reported difficulty in calling up forecasts for certain cities.