Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Office of Disaster Assistance and Petroleum Management (ODAPM) director Lisa Tuato’o has been named American Samoa’s territorial representative to the U.S Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG).

Aly Briscoe, Secretariat for the MitFLG, officially welcomed Tuato’o last month, along with the sponsorship of the U.S Department of the Interior’s principal David Applegate and action officer Marie Peppler.

Tuato’o will be the lead agent representing American Samoa, coordinating with Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The other member from the territories is from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The ODAPM director held a teleconference interview with Briscoe, who then sent an email to Tuato’o welcoming her onboard. “We know that your experience and perspective will help bring valuable insight to both the MitFLG and Implementation Team,” Briscoe wrote in an email message to Tuato’o.

Briscoe said MitFLG is one of the five mission areas under the National Preparedness Framework. It provides a coordinating structure for hazard mitigation policies and strategies across the federal government and with partners in mitigation nationally, including State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments and the private sector. 

The MitFLG is currently chaired by Angela Gladwell, Director for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Division.

Briscoe explained that the MitFLG is currently working to advance the National Mitigation Investment Strategy, which informs national strategies for resourcing hazard mitigation and resilience. 

And each MitFLG agency and SLTT partner also has members currently serving on the Implementation Team, which serves as a catalyst to identify and promote investments in mitigation that are effective in achieving the Investment Strategy goals.

“It's really great to have you on the team and I look forward to working with you,” Briscoe informed Tuato’o, who has served for over 20 years in ASG and has been at the helm of ODAPM since January 2021 — and was officially confirmed by the Fono earlier this year, as director for this ASG office.

The MitFLG’s next meeting is April this year. More specific information on the MitFLG — including the 2021 Year in Review report — is found online at FEMA (www.fema.gov).