The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency in the United States Department of Homeland Security whose primary purpose is to coordinate the response to the disasters that have frequently overstretched the resources of the state. The agency was created by presidential reorganization plan No. 3 of 1978, and its implementation began later in 1979. In the 1960s and 1970s, United States experienced a series of major disasters that required an immediate response from the federal. This led to the formation of the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Due to the continued disasters such as Hurricane Carla, Hurricane Agnes, and Hurricane Camille, there was a need for increased legislation which later led to the introduction of the presidential disaster declaration in 1974. Despite this, there were still many disasters that continued to arise requiring more than 100 federal agencies to work together to provide a response. Due to the many federal agencies who were in place to respond to the disasters, the National Governor’s Association felt that the disaster relief efforts were being made difficult. This led to the National Governor’s Association to ask President Jimmy Carter to centralize all the functions of federal emergency ( Sylves, 2014 ). This led to the president in 1979 merging all the functions of the federal emergencies into a new department known as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA, however, came under criticism after its failure to perform in the Hurricane Katrina of 2005. This led to the reforms in the emergency management department. The act was signed into law in 2006 to help solve the problems that were witnessed during the Hurricane Katrina. New leadership positions were established, and the authority of the agency was also expanded. The act aimed at enhancing the responsibility of FEMA and give it autonomy within the DHS ( Sylves, 2012 ).
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After September 11, 2001, the Homeland Security Act was passed in 2002 which led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The main reason for the formation of DHS was to promote better coordination among the various federal agencies charged with law enforcement, civil defense, and disaster preparedness. FEMA was absorbed into DHS in 2003, making it become part of the emergency preparedness under DHS. This was expected to increase the effectiveness of the agency and make it more active in responding to the disaster. However, it came out that the incorporation of FEMA into DHS would make FEMA ineffective and uncoordinated thus hinder it from achieving its own goal ( Sylves, 2012 ). This was after its failures in the hurricane Katrina where it failed to deliver the rescue as was expected. The agency was unable to respond effectively, leading to questioning of its preparedness. This later led to reforms in the emergency management department.
Following the 9/11 attack, FEMA was incorporated into the DHS. The focus of the organization was on the emergency preparedness which included both the natural disasters and emergencies from terror activities. Following this incorporation, it was expected that the efficiency of the agency would increase. However, Brown warned that the reorganization would lead to ineffectiveness and uncoordinated response to the terror attacks or natural disaster. After the agency failed in the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. This led for the call to separate the responsibilities of natural disasters from the terror preparedness. This was based on the claim that the funds for the natural disaster preparedness were given less attention compared to the terror. This, therefore, led to the need for FEMA to focus on the natural preparedness. Following then, the agency has been focusing on the vulnerabilities of natural hazards such as hurricanes.
One of the major lessons learned from the failure of FEMA in the hurricane Katrina is that unified management of the national response is required. Coordination of a wide range of organizations and activities is necessary to have effective management of catastrophic events. There was no coordination within the agency, and this contributed to some of the failures witnessed. Effective communication is also essential in an effective response to a catastrophic event. The agency did not have effective communication, and this led to delays in response to the disaster. Preparedness, therefore, requires effective communication within the agency. FEMA was therefore not prepared to face any natural disaster as the whole response process exposed the weaknesses within the agency. The emergency reforms act of 2006, however, increased the autonomy of the agency and gave it many responsibilities. This increased effective decision making and communication in a way that made the agency more effective in dealing with the hurricane Sandy ( Kapucu, Arslan & Demiroz, 2010 ).
Emergency declarations are usually made to protect the property, health safety and avert the threat. They are typically made when there is a threat that needs a response. The president issues the major disaster declaration upon the receipt of a request from the governor of the state that is affected. The presidential declaration gives an authority to the various DHS to provide assistance to the victims of the disaster that has been affected. Following the changes after the hurricane Katrina, when there is a catastrophic event in a state, the governor shall make the request of a declaration to the president. The president has the power to make an emergency declaration upon the request by the governor, and this can take place without having to engage the Congress. Such declarations are essential to provide assistance to the affected state through the provision of resources.
FEMA works with the state, and local emergency response departments provide a quick response to the disaster and help the victims from the damages caused. Due to the insufficient disaster response delegation at the local levels, FEMA coordinates with the emergency response departments at the local levels while also working together with the community to declare a disaster. They work together with the local authorities to implement programs that are aimed at providing a response to the disaster. Also, FEMA coordinates with the local agencies in the recovery support functions. It acts as a coordinator and as a hub for delegation of crucial resources. Working with the local and state agencies, FEMA can identify the disaster areas where resources are critically needed ( Kapucu, Arslan & Demiroz, 2010 ). This then makes it possible for the right priorities to be established. Working with the community members allows the agency to identify and implement programs that can be used to create an inter-agency response.
The post-Katrina emergency management reform Act of 2006 was done with the primary intention of ending the weaknesses and shortcomings that appeared in the agency during the hurricane Katrina. The major improvement that was made was the enhancement of the responsibility of FEMA as well as increasing its autonomy with the DHS. This reform also extended the responsibilities of FEMA to lead and offer support to the risk-based and comprehensive emergency management system. There were significant improvements made in the areas such as management structure which also included the legislative reforms. All the areas that were seen to be shortcoming during the hurricane Katrina were all reviewed. Since this reform, FEMA and DHS have made significant progress in their efforts to solve the issue of a natural disaster. Communication within the agency has been much improved making it easy to make quick responses during an emergency.
References
Kapucu, N., Arslan, T., & Demiroz, F. (2010). Collaborative emergency management and national emergency management network. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal , 19 (4), 452-468.
Sylves, R. (2014). Disaster policy and politics: Emergency management and homeland security . CQ Press.
Sylves, R. T. (2012). Federal emergency management comes of age: 1979–2001. In Emergency Management (pp. 120-171). Routledge.
