While thousands of government workers have been off the job, the Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency is still answering the call.
Mike Stoker, a Carpinteria resident and former Santa Barbara County Supervisor, is one of a staff members working with FEMA on disaster response issues for residents in the areas burned by the recent fires.
"All the emergency response goes on, and that's accepted," Stoker says. "Congress, as you go, continues to appropriate money as necessary to fund those operations."
Stoker's purview is Region 9, which covers California, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 tribes.
He is getting his staff ready for a rapid response once the government shutdown is over.