May 04, 2021 - Harrisburg, PA

ADVISORY - Wolf Administration Discusses Need for Flexible Disaster Emergency Declarations for Long-Duration Disaster Incidents

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) discussed how flexible disaster emergency declarations allow emergency officials to maintain response and recovery operations for the extent of long-duration disaster incidents.

"The current declaration period of 90 days permits continuity of response and recovery operations for higher-magnitude disasters which have affected the state in the past, as well as future large-scale disasters that may occur due to our evolving threat and hazard landscape," PEMA Director Randy Padfield said. "It's important that the public understand what their vote means and how it could impact them, their neighbors and communities across the state."

Padfield was joined at today's press conference by Kevin Molloy, who served as the emergency management coordinator in Dauphin County during the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island and later worked at PEMA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

• Full Advisory