Gus Bilirakis to Hold Hearing on Emergency Management in Clearwater on Friday

With hurricane season upon the Sunshine State, Florida Republican U.S. House Rep. Gus Bilirakis, from his perch as chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications, will hold a field hearing on Friday in Clearwater to kick over emergency management.

"Communities throughout the U.S. this year have experienced thwarted terrorist plots, severe winter storms, tornadoes, flooding and a tsunami, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted that we will have an above-average hurricane season," Bilirakis said on Monday. "We cannot prevent natural disasters from happening, so we must continue to ensure effective preparedness and response efforts for when they do happen."

Bilirakis will hold the meeting, which will include other members of Congress, in the Clearwater City Hall. Testifying before the committee will be a number of familiar faces from across the Sunshine State, including Bryan Koon, director of the state Division of Emergency Management; Chancia Willis from the city of Tampa; Tampa Bay American Red Cross head Linda Carbone; and Jerry Smith, the Lake County director of emergency management who is also the president of the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association.