Joplin chamber chief to testify before Senate committee

Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce President Rob O'Brian is among a group of panelists scheduled to speak today before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs regarding recent natural disasters.

The hearing will assess government response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the 2011 storms, floods and tornados, including the EF-5 tornado that hit Joplin on May 22. Officials will discuss mitigation efforts at the federal, state and local levels in an effort to avoid repetitive losses in future disasters.

O'Brian will be the only chamber of commerce representative to testify, according to a news release from the Joplin chamber.

A live stream of the hearing will be available online at the Senate's Web site, approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting at 1:30 p.m. CST. The hearing also will be available on cable via C-SPAN.

Other speakers scheduled to testify are:

• Richard Serino, deputy administrator of Federal Emergency Management Agency;
• Christopher Masingill, federal co-chairman of Delta Regional Authority;
• David Maxwell, director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management; and
• Thomas Womack, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

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