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By Ivan Sanders

City of Elizabethton PIO

For those who have been calling for a stronger FEMA presence in the county, that call was heard on Wednesday when FEMA Deputy Administrator Eric Hooks visited the MARC (Multi-Agency Resource Center) set up next door to the Farm Bureau in Elizabethton.

The deputy administrator assists the administrator in providing executive leadership of FEMA and ensures all programs and activities are effectively coordinated in preparing for, protecting against, responding to, recovering from, and mitigating the risk of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disasters.

Deputy Administrator Hooks serves as the agency’s chief operating officer, providing leadership to approximately 20,000 professionals and overseeing a budget of about $30 billion.

Hooks, along with Todd Jones, TEMA East Regional Director, visited the workers who are assisting local residents in recovery efforts from last week’s flooding caused by the remains of Hurricane Helene that passed through the region.

Current assistance is being provided by the following agencies:

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Department of Human Services
• Department of Veterans Services
• Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services
• Department of Labor (Unemployment Benefits, Workforce Development)
• American Red Cross
• Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness
• Department of Commerce & Insurance
• Department of Children’s Services
• Housing Development Agency

Services are free of charge. The hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.