Formation of FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management was officially formed in 1979 through the executive order of President Carter in the bid to merge several disaster-related responsibilities into one (Erickson, 2019). The federal government, however, had previously provided disaster relief programs from as early as the 1800s. In 1803, for instance, the federal government assisted the state of New Hampshire in controlling an extensive fire, by passing a legislation. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation in the 1930s was empowered to provide disaster loans for the reconstruction and repair of public facilities destroyed by earthquakes and other disasters. Many more laws were passed in the twentieth century by the federal government to help deal with emergencies. The Disaster Relief Act, passed by Congress in 1950, was the first-ever comprehensive national relief law. Through this law, federal aid in the form of supplies, equipment, personnel, facilities, among other resources, would be provided, one the president declared a situation as a natural catastrophe. Disaster management shifted offices and departments in the mid-twentieth century, staying for a long time in the white house.
Following numerous disaster hits in the 1960s and 1970s, separate departments were formed to deal with the various natural disasters. This decentralized approach was again criticized due to the fragmentation of functions at the state and national levels. This led to the formation of FEMA in 1979. FEMA struggled to prove its worth in the years that followed and faced a lot of criticism all the way to the start of the millennium. FEMA then went through a fundamental change in 2003 when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created by President Bush, following the September eleven attack. It was downgraded from an independent agency and integrated into the DHS (Drennan, 2018).
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Intended and unintended outcomes that emerged following FEMA's incorporation into the Department of Homeland Security
The devastating terrorist attack of September 2001 created a huge unsettlement within the federal government. The president had to do something to ensure such occurrences do not repeat. Focus was directed at terrorism. Natural disaster management took backstage and was seen only as an aspect of natural terror. More funds were needed for the creation of the DHS, and this could be achieved by downgrading other agencies such as FEMA. Also, by putting natural disasters under the DHS, the government could focus unanimously on terrorism and natural disasters. The action to incorporate FEMA into the DHS, therefore, was mostly intended to provide more focus on terrorism. Putting FEMA into DHS meant natural disasters were also classified under national security and catastrophe management. However, the incorporation of FEMA into DHS, which downgraded it, led to the departure of many employees, including its director. In the years that followed, the country was hit by devastating disasters, including Hurricane Katrina of 2005. Due to the lack of enough funds and competent leadership and personnel, among other things, FEMA was able not to deal with the disasters properly (Drennan, 2018). Hurricane Katrina caused flooding in over eighty percent of the city of New Orleans and killed at least one thousand and five hundred people.
Positional change after the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006
Incorporating FEMA into the DHS clearly limited the authority and capability of the organization. After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA still remained under the DHS (Claire,2012). A lot of changes, however, occurred within the organization after Katrina and after the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 was written into law. FEMA underwent reshuffling, and many employees with proper qualifications, including the director, were hired. For the position of the director, specifically, experience in emergency management was required for the first time. FEMA also adopted the 'whole community approach where it involved and coordinated work with the private sector, individuals, and community groups. The organization also adopted a resilience approach where it also focused on preparedness for inevitable disasters rather than just focusing on sustainability.
Hurricane Katrina refocusing Emergency Management back towards natural disasters from a focus on terrorism following 9/11
The DHS was created with the sole purpose of ensuring the security of the country by preventing future cases of terrorism. Since 2001 all the way to 2005, the federal government focused all its attention on national security and terrorism. Hurricane Katrina came as a wake-up call to remind the government and the country of the danger that natural disasters posed. When Katrina struck, the then director had to resign as he was no match for the disaster. President Bush had previously praised him for his response, downplaying the devastating nature of the disaster. This showed how much the government had focused on fighting terrorism while ignoring the threat of natural disasters. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the government had to revise its preferences and put more focus on natural disaster management (Claire,2012). Thousands of people needed the assistance of the government just to survive the disaster. The possibility of similar disasters occurring in the future also required that the government focus more on natural disasters.
Working with local and state emergency management services and community stakeholders
FEMA works with other players such as the private sector, local and state emergency management services, and community groups to effectively prevent and manage natural disasters(Claire,2012). Community members and neighbors are always the first to notice and offer assistance to those affected by disasters. Local and states emergency management services and private organizations also assist in various ways to help those affected by natural disasters. FEMA recognizes that it is vital to work with all these players for a more efficient disaster management approach. At the community level, FEMA encourages groups to consider resilience approaches of dealing with disasters such as the building of levies for holding off floods. It also works closely and in a coordinated manner with local and state emergency management services during emergencies to provide the locals with the necessary and sufficient support. FEMA also invests in disaster preparedness by buying in advance facilities, equipment, and supplies, which it readily puts on the ground if a disaster situation arises.
Changes in the process for presidential disaster declarations due to the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina
The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act OF 2006 (PKEMRA) provided proactive guidelines and authority required to better partner with local and state governments and organizations for better disaster management. PKEMRA also required that framework be drafted to guide the efforts of recovery and disaster management. An establishment of incident management assistance teams was also made after Katrina to improve response to disasters. Incident management teams work full time and are able to arrive at incidents within twelve hours. Another change in the operations of the FEMA since Katrina is its improved search and rescue capability. FEMA coordinates work with other departments such as the Coast Guard to conduct proper searches and rescue programs. FEMA has also improved its partnerships with other organizations and the private to better administer support during disasters (Bryner et al., 2017).
Lessons learned and improvements made by the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act of 2006 and how they affected emergency response and recovery in Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy hit New York City in October of 2012. The response of FEMA was highly praised as they effectively managed the situation and avoided the devastation witnessed earlier in New Orleans in 2005 (Byrne, 2013). PKEMRA allowed FEMA to declare emergencies before they occurred. This way, FEMA could come up with strategies, prepare the people for the storm, and put in place facilities, supplies, and equipment that would be needed to manage the situation effectively. After Hurricane Sandy struck, supplies that had been staged in New Jersey were easily and quickly brought to the affected individuals in New York. Numerous points of distribution were established, and affected people received supplies such as food, blankets, and water, among other things. FEMA also had enough time to employ enough personnel and coordinate work with other agencies. Other agencies such as the Army also provided assistance in areas such as water pumping and lifting of debris to clear pathways. The early preparedness made possible by the early declaration of the emergency was vital to the effectiveness by which the disaster was managed (Bryner et al., 2017).
References
Byrne, M. (2013). "Sandy Response in Ney York Shows How FEMA has changed."Declaring an emergency before the storm makes prepositioning of people and supplies possible. https://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Sandy-Response-Shows-How-FEMA-has-Changed.html
Bryner, N. S., Garcia-Lozano, M., & Bruch, C. (2017). Washed out: Policy and practical considerations affecting return after hurricane Katrina and superstorm Sandy. Journal of Asian development , 3 (1), 73-93.
Claire, B. R. (2012). "Emergency Management: The American Experience 1900-2010." 2nd Edition.
Drennan, L. (2018). FEMA's fall and redemption—applied narrative analysis. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal .
Erickson, S. (2019). The Federal Emergency Management Agency: A New Era of Weather Disaster Management.
