The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is one of the essential pillars of the United States. As stated in several studies, emergencies such as disasters and hazards cannot be eliminated completely from society but they can be minimized. Since the beginning of 1987, Crag Fugate has been a man of admiration to me. He has done a tremendous job despite several critics and he has impressed me on several occasions since he was the director of the Florida Emergency Division. The first critics occurred in 2004 and 2005 when Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Wilma occurred respectively. Critics stated that there was no water, ice and other essential humanitarian supplies that were supplied after Hurricane Wilma ( Bennett et al., 2017 ). The truth about this man is that he gave prior warnings to those people who lived in vulnerable areas to stock on 3 days’ worth of supplies. Still, as a director, he managed to organize recovery efforts for a record of 87 disasters in 2011 alone. In 2010, Fugate oversaw 81 disaster declarations ( Pastula, 2013) .
He launches prior preventive measures before a hazard strike. As someone who clearly understands the climatic conditions of the U.S, Fugate established an early response to Hurricane Sandy by positioning recovery resources before the arrival of the storm. When he was confronted, he emphasized that it is important to develop strong building codes and risk management strategies before disasters caught the people and the government unprepared. Another admiration is that he has backed people living in flood-prone areas to elevate their homes. According to a survey conducted, seventy percent which is equivalent to 700 respondents reacted positively to the director's commands ( Bennett et al., 2017 ). In so doing he has always ensured that the government budget to handle emergencies and victim compensation has been reduced.
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As a director of FEMA, he has improved several areas within his department. First is the issue of shared responsibility. Fugate has ensured that all citizens are aware of the dangers they are likely to encounter during a disaster. As such, he has enabled citizens to be prepared both mentally and psychologically and recognize that it’s their mandate is to take good care of themselves instead of relying on the government. Fugate has also ensured that his office secure the right staff instead of depending on mass deployment during disasters.
Another way Fugate has impressed me is the manner in which he keeps track of the known disasters. For instance, in 2004, he led a team that kept truck of four landfalling hurricanes. Other hazards that he has helped to tackle include drought cycle which has produced the worst wildfire in the U.S, tornado outbreaks particularly during El Niño’s ( Pastula, 2013) . He has further installed Weather Radios in schools to save lives in schools. He has also put strategies to ensure that all counties are storm ready.
As an administrator, Fugate initiated thunderbolt exercises into FEMA’s preparations. He also led efforts of incorporating digital media into federal emergency management. He also spearheaded the development of smartphone apps which allow users to report disasters using GIS ( Pastula, 2013) . The other thing that impressed me about Fugate is his Waffle House Index technique which establishes the level of attention a hazard or disaster area needs based on whether the Waffle House is vulnerable at the time when emergency services arrive at the scene ( Bennett et al., 2017 ). His Waffle House index operates in a simple philosophy: get open. His main idea was that if the Waffle House is open, people can continue to drive. If it’s broken but still serving a limited menu, it means that help is needed at the community. If it is locked, it signals that the situation is worse and immediate attention is required.
References
Bennett, D., Phillips, B. D., & Davis, E. (2017). The future of accessibility in disaster conditions: How wireless technologies will transform the life cycle of emergency management. Futures , 87 , 122-132
Pastula, M. (2013, May 28). Craig Fugate Discusses How FEMA Has Changed (And What’s Next) . Retrieved from http://www.govtech.com/em/disaster/Craig-Fugate-FEMA-QA-2013.html
