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The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) within the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. FEMA's purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster which has occurred in the United States and which overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurred must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the President of the United States that FEMA and the Federal Government respond to the disaster. The only exception is when an emergency or disaster occurs on federal property or to a federal asset, for example the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, OK, 1995, or Space Shuttle Columbia, 2003. While on-the-ground support of disaster recovery efforts is a major part of FEMA's charter, the agency provides state and local governments with experts in specialized fields and funding for rebuilding efforts and relief funds for individual citizens and infrastructure, in conjunction with the Small Business Administration (SBA) FEMA also assists individuals and businesses with low interest loans. FEMA also provides funds for training of response personnel throughout the United States and its territories as part of the agency's preparedness effort. History Federal emergency management in the United States has existed in one form or another for over 200 years. The history of FEMA can be divided into the following parts. Pre-1930 The first major disaster in the history of the United States was a series of devastating fires in the port city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Seventh Congress passed a number of measures in the Congressional Act of 1803, which provided relief for the merchants of Portsmouth by waiving duties and tariffs on goods. This is widely considered the first piece of legislation passed by the federal government that provided relief after a disaster and can be viewed as the beginnings of federal policies to provide relief after a disaster. Between 1803 and 1930, ad hoc legislation was passed more than 100 times for relief or compensation after a disaster. Examples of these include the waiving of duties and tariffs to the merchants of New York City after a fire in the mid 1830s. After President Abraham Lincoln's assassination at Ford's Theatre, the 54th Congress passed legislation compensating those who were injured in the theater. Piecemeal Approach (1930s – 1960s) After the start of the Great Depression in 1929, President Herbert Hoover had commissioned the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) in 1932. The purpose of the RFC was to lend money to banks and institutions to stimulate economic activity. RFC was also responsible for dispensing federal dollars in the wake of a disaster. RFC can be considered the first organized federal disaster response agency. The Bureau of Public Roads in 1934 was given authority to finance the reconstruction of highways and roads after a disaster. The Flood Control Act of 1944 also gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authority over flood control and irrigation projects and thus played a major role in disaster recovery from flooding. This "piecemeal approach" to disaster recovery was troubled by poor interagency cooperation and bureaucratic red tape. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1960 - 1979) By the start of the 1960s, federal disaster relief and recovery was brought under the umbrella of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which created the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration. This agency would oversee disasters such as Hurricane Carla in 1961, Hurricane Betsy in 1965, Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Agnes in 1972, the Alaskan (Good Friday) Earthquake of 1964 and the San Fernando Earthquake of 1971. Many government agencies were still involved in disaster relief; in some cases, more than 100 separate agencies might be jockeying for control and jurisdiction of a disaster. FEMA as an Independent Agency (1979 – 2003) In 1979, President Jimmy Carter, at the prompting of the National Governors Association, signed Executive Order 12148 which put a new agency, FEMA, in charge of coordinating all disaster relief efforts at the federal level. FEMA absorbed the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from HUD. FEMA was also given the responsibility for overseeing the nation's Civil Defense, a function which had previously been performed by the Department of Defense’s Defense Civil Preparedness Agency. One of the first disasters FEMA responded to was the dumping of toxic waste into Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York in the late 1970s. FEMA also responded to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident where the nuclear generating station suffered a partial core meltdown. These disasters, while showing the agency could function properly, also uncovered some inefficiencies. In 1993, President Bill Clinton elevated FEMA to a cabinet level position and named James Lee Witt as FEMA Director. Witt initiated reforms that would help to streamline the disaster recovery and mitigation process. The end of the Cold War also allowed the agency’s resources to be turned away from civil defense to natural disaster preparedness. FEMA under DHS (2003 - Present) Following September 11th, 2001, President Bush created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better coordinate among the different federal agencies that deal with law enforcement, disaster preparedness and recovery, border protection and civil defense. FEMA was absorbed into DHS as of 2003. As a result, FEMA became part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of DHS, and employs more than 2,600 full time employees. In September 2003, Michael D. Brown, FEMA's director and DHS Undersecretary, warned that the shift would make a mockery of FEMA's new motto, "A Nation Prepared," and would "fundamentally sever FEMA from its core functions," "shatter agency morale" and "break longstanding, effective and tested relationships with states and first responder stakeholders." The inevitable result of the reorganization of 2003, warned Brown, would be "an ineffective and uncoordinated response" to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. ''Washington Post'' Dec 23, 2005 FEMA and DHS both came under intense criticism for their handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005 (see Katrina and Criticism sections below). As a result, FEMA Director Brown was relieved of command of the Gulf Coast region and resigned shortly thereafter. Organization Today FEMA exists as a major agency of the Department of Homeland Security. The Under Secretary for Federal Emergency Management reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security. FEMA currently manages the National Flood Insurance Program. Other programs FEMA previously administered have since been internalized or shifted under direct DHS control. The Under Secretary for Federal Emergency Management is also the Director of FEMA. R. David Paulison was confirmed to fill the position. Response Capabilities FEMA's emergency response is based around small, decentralized teams trained in such as the National Disaster Medical Sysytem (NDMS), Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Disaster Mortuary Operations Resonse Team (DMORT), Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), and Mobile Emergency Resource Support (MERS). National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) These teams provide medical and allied care to disaster victims. Teams are made up of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc., and are typically sponsored by hospitals, public safety agencies or private organizations. Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) provide medical care at disasters and are typically made up of doctors and paramedics. There are also National Nursing Response Teams (NNRT), National Pharmacy Response Teams (NPRT) and Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMAT). Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) provide mortuary and forensic services. National Medical Response Teams (NMRT) are equipped to decontaminate victims of chemical and biological agents. Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) The Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces perform rescue of victims from structural collapses, confined spaces, and other disasters, for example mine collapses and earthquakes. Mobile Emergency Resource Support (MERS) These teams provide communications support to local public safety. For instance, they may operate a truck with satellite uplink, computers, telephone and power generation at a staging area near a disaster so that the responders can communicate with the outside world. There are also Mobile Air Transportable Telecommunications System (MATTS) assets which can be airlifted in. Also portable Cellphone towers can be erected to allow local responders to access telephone systems. Hurricane Andrew - 1992 (see also Hurricane Andrew) In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew struck the Florida and Louisiana coasts with 165 mph (265 km/h) sustained winds. FEMA was widely criticized for the agency’s response to Andrew, summed up by the famous exclamation, "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one?" by Dade County, Florida, emergency management director Kate Hale. FEMA and the federal government at large were accused of not responding fast enough to house, feed and sustain the approximately 250,000 people left homeless in the affected areas. Within five days the federal government and neighboring states had dispatched 20,000 National Guard and active duty troops to South Dade County to set up temporary housing. FEMA had previously been criticized for its response to Hurricane Hugo, which hit South Carolina in September 1989, and many of the same issues that plagued the agency during Hurricane Andrew were also evident during the response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001 (see also September 11, 2001 attacks) In the minutes after the first hijacked plane slammed into the World Trade Center towers, FEMA, as well as emergency services all over the city and state of New York, were mobilized. FEMA had deployed 25 of the 28 Urban Search and Rescue teams at its disposal to the World Trade Center site; however, the New York City Office of Emergency Management was in charge of the WTC recovery effort. FEMA played its largest role in the appropriation of federal funds to aid local and state governments in paying for the disaster. As of 2003, FEMA had received $5.5 billion USD to distribute among local and state agencies to help offset the cost of recovery. Within the $5.5 billion, FEMA was also allotted funds to pay for its own recovery efforts. Hurricane Katrina – 2005
Buffalo Snowstorm - October 13, 2006 FEMA came under attack for their response to the October 2006 snowstorm in Buffalo, New York. Claims state that FEMA officials did not arrive until October 16th, three days after the storm hit. The damage by this time, which had been compared to that of Hurricane Katrina, included downed power wires, downed trees, and structual damage to homes and businesses. Criticism In 1997, James Bovard criticized FEMA for subsidizing rebuilding in places that are vulnerable to natural disasters, asking, "Do we really want to help rebuild homes and government property in areas that should never have been built on in the first place?" He also claimed that localities are less likely to fund their own snow removal if they know the federal government will bail them out in the event of snow emergencies *. Moreover, he said that FEMA is used by incumbent presidents to shore up political support *. The Cato Institute's Handbook for Congress argues that private companies could perform the tasks carried about by FEMA, and that this would encourage home construction in safer areas*: Any time there is a natural disaster FEMA is trotted out as an example of how well government programs work. In reality, by using taxpayer dollars to provide disaster relief and subsidized insurance, FEMA itself encourages Americans to build in disaster-prone areas and makes the rest of us pick up the tab for those risk decisions. In a well-functioning private marketplace, individuals who chose to build houses in flood plains or hurricane zones would bear the cost of the increased risk through higher insurance premiums. FEMA's activities undermine that process. Americans should not be forced to pay the cost of rebuilding oceanfront summer homes. This $4 billion-a-year agency should be abolished. FEMA does encourage disaster victims to reduce future losses by considering "taking steps to rebuild safer and smarter," advising them to *: South Florida newspaper Sun-Sentinel has an extensive list of documented criticisms of FEMA during the four hurricanes that hit the region in 2004.* Some of the criticisms include: Since Hurricane Katrina, some critics have called for FEMA to be removed from the Department of Homeland Security, saying that its position in the department badly hindered the agency's response, and that FEMA is beyond repair. Sen. Joe Lieberman called for Congress to dissolve FEMA and rebuild it from scratch, but within the DOH. A Senate panel has also come to the conclusion that it would be better to abolish FEMA. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who was the leader of an inquiry by the Senate said FEMA was in "shambles and beyond repair." The panel called for a new agency which will be called the National Preparedness and Response Authority if FEMA is abolished. The rest of the Senate panel's recommendations included less dramatic changes, such as creating a Homeland Security Academy, which would better prepare FEMA officials. Conspiracies FEMA's annual budget is partially secretive. While it remains unknown what some parts of FEMA's 6.4 billion dollar budget* will be spent on*, forced government disclosures of FEMA's past activities paints a revealing picture. Rex 84, short for Readiness Exercise 1984, was a secret exercise to test governmental response to foreign or domestic disturbances that threatened the continuity of the State. According to civil rights advocates, Rex 84 demonstrates that FEMA's role extends far beyond responses to natural disasters or foreign/domestic terrorist attacks, and into the area of policing and undermining popular movements in which governmental authority is threatened.** A July 5th, 1987 Miami Herald front page article is credited with bringing some of these secret activities into the open. The article was cited by Texas politician Jack Brooks in a House Committee Hearing on the subject, and his questions were subsequently dismissed as "touching upon a highly sensitive and classified area."* There are numerous websites circulating information about "FEMA concentration camps" scattered throughout the United States. The language of such claims is enough for most people to dismiss them as the work of conspiracy theorists and therefore not of any credibility. However, Rex 84 makes it clear that FEMA and the DOD have engaged in test scenarios that at the very least imply the existence of such facilities. Furthermore, there is considerable documentation within the "conspiracy theorist" scene of the actual location of hundreds of these supposed camps.* One popular online video walks viewers through an alleged prision camp in Beach Grove, Indiana. Considering the implications of Rex 84, and not forgetting that the State has indeed used such internment camps in the past (Japanese American internment), it would seem that many of these "FEMA concentration camps" really do exist in the capacity in which they are physically described. Conjecture in this arena has lead to the development of elaborate conspiracy theories regarding the coming "FEMA Police State."* List of FEMA Heads As director of the agency: As Director of Cabinet-level agency: As Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response within the Department of Homeland Security As Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the Department of Homeland Security As Undersecretary for Federal Emergency Management within the Department of Homeland Security FEMA in Fiction Most fictional representations play off the Agency's supposed ability to assume dictatorial powers in the event of a catastrophic disaster. See also | |||||||||
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