Agencies swing into action on Hurricane Rita response
Lt. Gen. Robert Clark, commander of the 5th Army, was tapped Thursday to head the military task force for Hurricane Rita.
President Bush made plans to fly to Texas Friday to review the preparations for Hurricane Rita, which is expected to hit the state's Gulf Coast by Saturday.
"We have resources there to help the federal, state and local officials to respond swiftly and effectively," said Bush, the Associated Press reported.
The Pentagon and other federal agencies are continuing to gear up for Rita, reflecting the federal government's efforts to avoid criticism that it once again was too slow to respond to an impending disaster.
Lt. Gen. Robert Clark, commander of the 5th Army, was tapped Thursday to head the military task force for Hurricane Rita. The military also began moving communications teams equipped with satellite phones and radios into Texas, days ahead of similar moves during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
About 600-800 National Guard troops from Florida and up to 450 from Illinois were preparing to deploy to Texas. Six Navy ships are in the Gulf Coast region waiting to move in behind the storm, and 26 helicopters were being sent in to aid with search and rescue and medical evacuations.
The Bush administration Wednesday declared Hurricane Rita an ``incident of national significance,'' officially releasing a massive federal response to the destruction now expected to exceed state and local capabilities.