The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) took over the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic after the President declared it a national disaster.
“One of the things that we discovered early on is that most PPE is manufactured overseas, and so to speed up the process of getting it to the United States, FEMA undertook a massive effort to use transportation contracts to bring in all that equipment in via air, as opposed to the normal shipment method which was by ship,” said Paul Taylor, FEMA Region 7 Administrator.
Taylor’s region covers states like Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, which are compromised of 95 percent rural communities.
“One of the most significant sources of employment is working at meat production plants, or folks that are producers, farmers, and ranchers that are producing meat to go to these plants,” Taylor said. “Those communities have been very affected.”
Starting this week, all Medicare and Medicaid facilities will be receiving two weeks worth of personal protective equipment.
If you are in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, or Missouri you can follow Region Seven FEMA on Twitter for updates by clicking HERE.
For all updates on the Coronavirus and how it impacts Rural America, visit our Coronavirus outbreak hub.
