Why does FEMA’s Brock Long take Florence so seriously? Because he remembers Hugo.
Long, who grew up in Newton, was 14 in 1989 the night Hurricane Hugo swept in, toppling trees and damaging buildings.
"Hurricane Hugo . . . came right over my house," he told
Now 43, Long is the administrator for the
On
Since taking office in mid-2017, Long has had a baptism of many storms. He has dealt with Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in addition to floods and wildfires.
The agency drew fire for its response to Maria, which killed nearly 3,000 people in
Until taking over
Long earned two degrees from
Long could boast a deep resume. From 2008 to 2011, he served as director of
Before that he was
Since 2011, Long was executive vice president at
All of which makes him keenly aware of the challenges posed by Florence.
"Florence could be the most dangerous storm in the history of the Carolinas," he tweeted this week. "But it will also bring significant impacts throughout the Mid-Atlantic. We are getting ready from the Carolinas to
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