The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

1755 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Recovering from natural disasters

This paper seeks to show that FEMA is no longer simply natural disaster management but crisis emergency management to help the entire country survive and rebuild from any major crisis to hit our borders. It will cover the history of FEMA and show the progression of this agency into what is now a division of Homeland Security.

Introduction:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is an agency that was originally developed to respond to natural disasters. Natural disasters are but not limited to; earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes. FEMA states their mission is “FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare …show more content…

FEMA uses the Federal Response Plan, FRP, created in 1992. “This plan “establishes a process and structure for the systematic, coordinated, and effective delivery of Federal assistance to address the consequences of any major disaster or emergency declared under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended.” (Baldwin 2017:2) The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, The Stafford Act, was passed in 1988. This act established what qualifies as a disaster and for the President to be able to declare a disaster for FEMA to respond with relief. Next would be responding to natural disasters, this does not involve showing up immediately on the scene like previously believed. Their actual duties are to coordinate emergency response management with local and state responders. FEMA works with the local and state governments in their emergency response and, when a “state of emergency” is declared, sends in federal resources to assist in the local response. FEMA assists in recovery from disaster with federal funding and supplies to help with the loss of food, clothing, homes, lives, and jobs. By supplying all that FEMA does, they are mitigating the loss of such disasters. Mitigation is to reduce the severity of the situation caused by disasters as well as reducing the risk of extensive damage from future …show more content…

See also 15 CFR Part 700 and 44 CFR parts 324-336. E.O. 12919 supersedes E.O. 10480 (1969) and rescinds all or portions of several other Executive Orders. (Baldwin

Show More
Related

  • James Lee Witt Effective Leadership of FEMA

    1945 Words  | 4 Pages

    Royer, Jordan. “Hurricane Sandy and the importance of being FEMA”, Crosscut.com, Crosscut.com, Web. 1 Nov 2012, 3 May 2014.

    Read More

  • Summary: The Leadership During Hurricane Katrina

    224 Words  | 1 Pages

    The leadership during Hurricane Katrina was riddled with inconsistencies, unpreparedness, and lacking in the knowledge to deal with emergency management situations from the White House, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA, the Governor’s Office in Louisiana and the City of New Orleans. This event emphasizes the importance of preparedness, response, recovery, communications, emergency plans, and political indifferences during pressing times.

    Read More

  • The National Response Plan

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homeland Security. (2008, 12). National Incident Management System. Retrieved 10 22, 2011, from FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nims/NIMS_core.pdf

    Read More

  • Fema's Role In Hurricane Katrina

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 2003, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was rolled into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA’s responsibilities are to prepare, protect, respond, and recover from diminish all hazards. There was a mass coverage about the failure for FEMA to act immediately to Katrina, but once they were able to get things organized such as giving food and water, and setting up the tent and shelters communities can be strong and move on.

    Read More

  • Hurricane Hugo Essay

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hurricane Hugo was a catastrophe that caused widespread residential damage, extensive lifeline destruction, and enormous timber destruction in South Carolina and was one of the most costly disasters ever experienced in the US in terms of damage to homes, infrastructure and local economies. The media reported accounts of incidents that were serious problems in South Carolina’s response and early recovery efforts which further initiated an exploratory research to gather information about recovery experience in four badly impacted counties and about the state response and recovery actions undertaken. Post hurricane response problems were both organizational and functional. The research reveals significant state deficiencies with state and county emergency capabilities and serious problems in two national disaster response organizations, the Red Cross and FEMA. Another concern was that most emergency management knowledge came from direct experience rather than from existing educational and training programs along with serious mitigation planning problems were found with hurricane. Deepen concerns we...

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina: America's Costliest Storm

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Coast Guard, for instance, rescued some 34,000 people in New Orleans alone, and many ordinary citizens commandeered boats, offered food and shelter, and did whatever else they could to help their neighbors. Yet the government–particularly the federal government–seemed unprepared for the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) took days to establish operations in New Orleans, and even then did not seem to have a sound plan of action. Officials, even including President George W. Bush, seemed unaware of just how bad things were in New Orleans and elsewhere: how many people were stranded or missing; how many homes and businesses had been damaged; how much food, water and aid was needed. Katrina had left in her wake what one reporter called a “total disaster zone” where people were “getting absolutely

    Read More

  • Difference Between Emergency Planning And Man-Made Disaster

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Once this concept is understood, preparation and mitigation within the plan can be molded to fit the disaster event presented to a community. Identification of threats and hazards to mold preparation and mitigation is key when responding to the event. Every event will reveal new types of hazards and threats, thus it is up to the emergency manager and the planning team to assess and revise the EOP each and every time this occurs. Lessons learned per event will only make the community stronger in response to natural and/or man-made disasters moving

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Fema

    455 Words  | 1 Pages

    The mission of FEMA is “to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.”[1]  FEMA intends “to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters with a vision of ‘A Nation Prepared.’”[2]

    Read More

  • Congress And Bureaucracy

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    The 109th Congress questioned the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after Hurricane Katrina. Congress called for mandatory reports from the white house, Inspectors Generals, the Government Accountability Office, and others. A common denominator in all of these findings were that some of the losses brought by Katrina were caused, at least in part, by deficiencies within FEMA; such as: questionable leadership decisions, organizational failures, and inadequate legal authorities. As a result of these findings, Congress further utilized their control strategies to reorganize FEMA, and restructure the way responsibilities were handled following emergencies. Congress passed the “Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act of 2006” in order to accomplish these revisions. This newly enacted bill reorganized FEMA, expanded its authority, established new leadership positions and position requirements within FEMA, and imposed new conditions and requirements on the operations of the agency. Congress also utilized the appropriations process to influence this portion of bureaucracy by enacting supplemental appropriations, one-time waivers of requirements and temporary

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina

    2601 Words  | 6 Pages

    Federal intervention in the aftermath of natural disasters began after the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. This 8.3 magnitude earthquake killed 478, and left over 250,000 homeless. While the disaster itself was obviously unavoidable, the subsequent fires that burned throughout the city were a result of poor planning. (1, 17) In an effort to consolidate existing programs, and to improve the nation’s level of preparedness, President Carter created FEMA in 1979. Initially, FEMA was praised for improving communication between various levels of government, and multiple agencies during a crisis. (1,19)

    Read More

  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    These hazards can range from hurricanes, to tornados, to mass shootings, and to terrorist attacks. FEMA is there to grant relief to those affected by these tragedies. FEMA makes funds for organizations to create dams, flood gates, and shelters. FEMA helps before a disaster strikes by evacuating homes, and warning people of the imminent danger. The agency works with the Red Cross to help the citizens who were injured in earthquakes, and other disasters. The agency also works with terrorist attacks. If an act of terror were to happen in the United States, FEMA would be there to help the citizens. The main job of FEMA is the welfare of the people. They will do everything in their power to prevent disasters from happening. They will limit the loss of life, and homes from

    Read More

  • Effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    The lack of response dates back to the merger of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed in 2002 “in response to the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001”(Adamski, p4). The function of DHS is to provide a “unified defense structure against the threat of terrorism and other potential hazards” (Adamski, p4(Homeland Security Act of 2002)). In 2003 the Bush administration reformed FEMA and it was moved under the umbrella of the DHS. With that, the merger changed the mission of FEMA, from its primary focus of disaster response to counter terrorism. Removing FEMA from an independent agency which handled disaster response, and merge with DHS which responded to counter terrorism, according to Adamski, the merge sparked concerns that the coverage of natural disasters would...

    Read More

  • Emergency Crisis Essay

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Federal Emergency Management Agency also known as (FEMA) primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities (Wikipedia, p

    Read More

  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    FEMA The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an organization of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially formed by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and applied for two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979. The initial first response to a disaster is the job of local emergency services with the help of the surrounding sources. A major disaster can be a result of tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and floods. The event must be more than the state or local governments can handle alone.

    Read More

  • Disaster Recovery Plan Business Impact Analysis

    2453 Words  | 5 Pages

    The disaster recovery plan is a step by step process for responding to a specific event. The procedures should be detailed but still easy enough for everyone in the organization to have a basic understanding of. When developing recovery plans, an organization must also consider which, if any government or regulatory agencies need to be involved in the disaster recovery process (fema.gov). Another factor that needs to be considered when writing the disaster recovery plan is how the organization will communicate during the disaster. The organization will need to identify its core communication infrastructure in the plan, with alternative means of communication if the main communication method is unavailable (fcc.gov).

    Read More

More about The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Open Document