Kansas City, Mo. – For over the past month, FEMA and other federal agencies have been supporting the White House Coronavirus Task Force as part of a whole of government response to fight COVID-19 pandemic and protect the public.

FEMA Region 7 has seen the deployment of more than 100 federal staff. Nebraska has also received shipments of about 227,000 surgical masks, 231,000 pairs of gloves, 96,000 N95 respirators, 39,000 surgical gowns, 47,000 face shields and 1,800 coveralls from the Strategic National Stockpile.

FEMA also facilitated disbursement of additional PPE through its Project Air Bridge operation, which brought supplies to designated hot spots directly to medical facilities within Region 7 states: Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri.

At the request of Region 7 states, National Guard members have been put on a 31-day deployment, which triggers health benefits for guard members while on duty during that period. Each Region 7 state already has received at least $17 million towards deployment costs.

– FEMA