The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee Erik Adrian Hooks as FEMA's deputy administrator.
The Republican organization Senate Cloakroom announced the nomination on Twitter.
“Confirmed by voice vote: Executive Calendar #555 Erik Adrian Hooks to be Deputy Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security," the organization stated in the Dec. 7 post.
Hooks has more than 30 years of experience in public safety, according to information on the White House website. A native of North Carolina, he was previously the Secretary of Public Safety and the State’s Homeland Security Advisor for North Carolina, where he led 27,000 of the state’s public safety professionals and approximately 12,000 of members of the state’s National Guard.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell applauded the Hooks confirmation, stating that his resume was impeccable.
"Erik Hooks admirably served the state of North Carolina as its head of Public Safety during a most challenging period, through natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic." Criswell said in a statement on the FEMA website. "His experience and background will build on our efforts to infuse equity across our agency, advance our nation’s emergency management and readiness and address the growing threat of climate change."
“Mr. Hooks is a proven leader with a long and distinguished career and offers an invaluable perspective to FEMA’s work,” she stated.
FEMA is the main federal agency to coordinate preparation for and response to disasters. It has 10 regional offices and more than 20,000 employees, according to the agency’s website.
