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City of Pompano Beach,FL j JIr1 1t 10,BRIEN,s <br /> Disaster Recovery Management Services 11!11I <br /> Disaster Response and Recovery Services <br /> State of Louisiana <br /> Dates of Performance` . 2005:'Present'`' " • <br /> In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina,the Governor's Office in the Stateof Louisiana retained Witt <br /> O'Brien's to provide strategic advice to the State on overall response and recovery efforts.Within <br /> 48 hours of the storm's landfall, before a contract had been formally signed,James Lee Witt led a <br /> response team into Baton Rouge.Witt O'Brien's established a functional joint operations center <br /> within 24 hours and provided essential State and local personnel with the tools needed to <br /> communicate effectively statewide. <br /> Witt O'Brien's continues to advise the Governor,his cabinet,and other leaders on all matters <br /> concerning recovery,as well as to provide assistance in the development of policies and <br /> coordination with public and private recovery entities on all levels.In addition,Witt O'Brien's <br /> senior vice president was invited to testify before the Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee for <br /> Disasters on behalf of the State's recovery efforts. <br /> In addition to its strategic advisory role,Witt O'Brien's provided technical assistance as a part of <br /> contributing to long-term recovery efforts. Initially,Witt O'Brien's reformed the State's emergency <br /> management structure,bringing it into line with FEMA's emergency support functions. Witt <br /> O'Brien's staff played key roles in the design and implementation of the Louisiana Recovery <br /> Authority(LRA),the organization responsible for coordinating overall recovery efforts,establishing <br /> rebuilding priorities,receiving and distributing appropriated relief funds,and providing a single <br /> voice for the State on recovery issues.Witt O'Brien's has also served as the senior emergency <br /> management advisor for the LRA Board of Directors and as liaisons between the State and the <br /> parishes and parish presidents affected by Katrina.To bring about a more planned and coordinated <br /> recovery in southern Louisiana,Witt O'Brien's also organized and led the State's long-term <br /> community recovery planning effort in 26 parishes(over 1/3 of the State),and developed and <br /> implemented regional and statewide planning activities designed to address issues that cross <br /> jurisdictional boundaries. Some other notable technical assistance efforts undertaken by Witt <br /> O'Brien's include: <br /> • Establishing a joint operations center <br /> • Implementing the Incident Command Structure and Command Center <br /> • Providing support for local EOC operations <br /> • Developing debris monitoring and debris management plans <br /> • Developing the Planning Pilot Grant Program to help parishes,municipalities and institutions <br /> identify potential mitigation projects and undertake Initial work to develop the projects for <br /> future mitigation grant applications <br /> • Working with university leaders throughout the State on specific higher education disaster <br /> recovery needs <br /> Since September of 2005,Witt O'Brien's has established and implemented the State's Public <br /> Assistance Program to maximize funding availability for Louisiana projects.Witt O'Brien's provided <br /> September4,2014 Page l 11 <br />