...Received through the CRS Web FEMA’s Mission: Policy Directives for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Updated March 13, 2002 Keith Bea Specialist, American National Government Government and Finance Division Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress FEMA’s Mission: Policy Directives for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Summary The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assists states and localities overwhelmed by, or at risk from, disasters. FEMA also coordinates federal emergency management activities and planning for the continuity of government should national security be threatened. Since 1979 FEMA has administered a range of authorities that enable the agency to serve as the primary source of federal technical and financial assistance for emergency management. Among the types of aid provided through FEMA programs are grants and material to help disaster victims meet pressing needs such as food and shelter, education and training programs to improve the response capabilities of nonfederal officials, and mobile communications equipment. FEMA exercises little regulatory authority, but directives that underlie the agency’s mission authorize the agency to establish standards for reconstruction of buildings after a disaster declaration is issued, for the construction of federal buildings in earthquake-prone areas, and for the operation of first responder equipment. FEMA has responded to, and has helped communities prepare for, terrorist...
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...billion or more. It was true that Katrina was a natural disaster; therefore, it was unpredictable and unavoidable. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) saw its approach to Katrina as a success story. However, many of the criticisms were directed toward the ill-prepared FEMA and the lack of coordination in the rescue operation, in which FEMA refuse volunteers¡¦ help including manpower and food. Some even suggested the abolishment of FEMA for good. The point at issue here is whether FEMA is effective in doing what it is suppose to do. We would identify the strength FEMA possesses, as well as the weaknesses the agency contained. Recommendations would be made in the end by using organizational behavior tools. What is FEMA? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was established as an independent agency by presidential executive order on March 31, 1979. However, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th, FEMA became a part of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on March 1, 2003. Basically, FEMA integrates the emergency-related programs of Nations and is the central agency within the Federal Government for emergency planning, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. FEMA works closely with State and local governments so that FEMA has the capability to offer money for emergency programs, technical guidance and training and also sets the resources of Federal in time when disaster takes place. Thereby, these coordinated activities ensure a perfect program to protect...
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...Susan Washburn College Writing 04 December 2014 FEMA August 25, 2005 Hurricane Katrina tore through the coast lands. Taking people’s homes and everything they owned. Lives taken and people lost unable to be found within the debris. The inefficient performance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina resulted from the failure of the administration of President Bush to respond (Outman). They should have done more. Hurricane Katrina, and the subsequent flooding that devastated New Orleans in August 2005, has posed the greatest challenge and evoked some of the harshest criticism the agency has ever faced. Due to Michael Brown’s lack of experience, Chertoff’s lack of responsibility, and President Bush’s response FEMA; hundreds of lives were lost. Alex Rich states, “FEMA was created by President Carter in 1979, elevated to Cabinet level in 1993, and incorporated into the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, FEMA is charged with guiding the federal response to the nation's disasters both natural and man-made.” The agency manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration as well as helps prepare state and local emergency managers by providing first responder and emergency preparedness training. The Department of Homeland Security channels funding to federal operations and provides grants to state and local agencies. FEMA defers to state and local emergency teams to handle disasters at their level (Rich 2)....
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...Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton From: Agent Sam Freeman Subject: Overview of FEMA Mrs. Clinton, you have requested information regarding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). President Jimmy Carter made FEMA in April 1979 with an official request that joined a patchwork of more than 100 government projects and associations tending to the diverse stages and sorts of national crises. The new office ingested the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Integrated Hazard Information System regulated by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the General Services Administration's Federal Preparedness Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Federal Disaster Assistance Administration, the Department of Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, and a few elements from the Department of Health and Human Services. State and nearby powers, who had thought that it was disappointing to manage the substantial number of covering projects directed by a constantly changing...
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...sweeping, changes to the “way it does Emergency Response business.” The disastrous events of both September 11, 2001 and the unfolding tragedy of Hurricane Katrina proved to be “real-time” triggers for the evolution of governmental amendment to and eventual restructure of the overarching procedural standard for incident response in the country. One of the outcomes would become what was dubbed the National Response Framework, or NRF. This paper will present a brief outline of its core structure and purpose. Moreover, it will aim to make an opinion on whether this template for emergency response is maximally effective in its approach to the complexities associated with Incident Response in the U.S. A brief outline of the NRF structure and intent is now appropriate here. The template is a doctrinal approach to the domestic partnerships and implementation of resources above and beyond those rules set by the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) (fema.gov, 2012). General audiences of NRF-specific guidance will typically be policy-level personnel or heads-of-agencies, who directly or strategically coordinate echelon and subordinate agencies at all eventual layers of government emergency response. It is driven largely by the data and regulatory information offered to emergency managers at the NRF Resource Center, and ultimately lies within the realm of the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA. NRF is commonly held to have been the...
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...The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders on April 1, 1979.[1][4] The agency's 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. The governor of the state in which the disaster occurs must declare a state of emergency and formally request from the president that FEMA and the federal government respond to the disaster. FEMA also provides these services for territories of the United States, such as Puerto Rico. The only exception to the state's gubernatorial declaration requirement occurs when an emergency and/or disaster takes place on federal property or to a federal asset, for example, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, or the Space Shuttle Columbia in the 2003 return-flight disaster. 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 infrastructure by directing individuals to access low interest loans, in conjunction with the Small Business Administration. In addition to this, FEMA provides funds for training of response personnel throughout the United States...
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...FEMA and Federalism Deanne Norgaard POL 120 - American National Government May 26, 2014 Season Hoard FEMA and Federalism The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a federal program designed to respond to natural emergencies and disasters all over our country. Its initial catalyst is a governor’s declaration of a disaster area. So when recent tornadoes touched down and cut a path of destruction through Illinois, particularly in the towns of Washington and Gifford, the governor made his declaration and FEMA was expected to spring into action. Upon examination however, FEMA ruled that despite seven fatalities and millions of dollars of damage, the area did not qualify for assistance. Both the Illinois governor and U.S. Senators were stunned and the state was left to respond to the emergency themselves. What is this federal policy and is it better than just having each state respond to its own issues? The qualifications to receive FEMA assistance are determined by the following: the amount and type of damage (major damage and number of homes destroyed); impact on the infrastructure of affected areas or critical facilities; imminent threats to public health and safety; impacts to essential government services and functions; unique capability of Federal government; dispersion or concentration of damage; level of insurance coverage in place for homeowners and public facilities; available assistance from other (Federal, state, local, voluntary organizations); and...
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...accomplishes Emergency Response operations. The catastrophic events of both September 11, 2001 and the lingering tragedy of Hurricane Katrina proved to be instantaneous prompts for the evolution of governmental amendment to and eventual restructure of the overarching procedural standard for incident response in the country. One of the many important after-effects would become what was labeled the National Response Framework, or NRF. A detailed outline of the NRF structure and intent follows. The template is a doctrinal approach to the domestic partnerships and implementation of resources above and beyond those rules set by the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS) (FEMA, 2012). The sole purpose of the 90-page document is to ensure that government executives, private sector, nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders, and emergency management practitioners across the nation understand domestic incident response roles, responsibilities and relationships in order to respond more effectively to any type of incident. General administrators of NRF-specific guidance will typically be policy-level personnel or heads-of-agencies, who directly or strategically coordinate echelon and subordinate agencies at all eventual layers of government emergency response. It is guided mainly by the data and regulatory information offered to emergency managers at the NRF Resource Center, and eventually rests within the realm of the Federal...
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...------------------------------------------------- Effective Preparedness and Resilience Planning during Hurricane Sandy: Hurricane Sandy Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina University of Maryland University College Homeland Security Management: Resilience Planning and Preparedness for Disaster Response and Recovery (2152), Spring 2015 Written By: Brittany Wiley Introduction: Major Hurricane disasters along the coastlines have affected many cities and communities which have forced them to take into action and adopt the conception of emergency management, such as resilience planning, disaster preparedness, response and recovery planning. Mitigation preparedness plays an effective part in the emergency management plan. Many cities and communities must explore strategies to reduce the major impact these disasters have and implement resilience planning that will allow communities to rebuild. According to the National Disaster Recovery Framework (2011), “a successful recovery process promotes practices that minimize the community’s risk to all hazards and strengthens it’s ability to withstand and recover from future disasters, which constitute a community’s resiliency” (p. 11). Furthermore, Hurricane disaster’s not only expose community’s vulnerabilities but it gives them the opportunity to rebuild with more resiliency. When comparing two devastating Hurricane disasters that have impacted many cities, communities and lives; it’s important to consider Hurricane Katrina...
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...state or city level emergency management role like Ohio EMA. I want to help and protect the people of my community and state as much as possible. With a role that close to DHS or FEMA, they interactions would be endless. More than likely the biggest interaction would be with natural disasters, say tornados or floods. If the state of Ohio ever had a natural disaster and needed federal assistance, they would contact FEMA. During any disaster response, they would send a team that is responsible for working with the appropriate State and local officials to identify resource needs. The team also coordinates the flow of resources and assistance the Federal Government provides to meet these wants and needs. The concept...
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...FEMA and Government’s Response to Super storm Sandy FEMA and Government’s Response to Super Storm Sandy The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003 coordinates the federal government's role in “preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror” (FEMA.gov). When it comes to disaster response and recovery, it’s acts as part of a team. “The team includes federal partners, state, tribal and local officials, the private sector, non-profits and faith-based groups and the general public. All these organizations and agencies are involved in the response and recovery process that bring their resources to bear, in terms of financial resources, manpower and other support” (FEMA.gov). In preparation of Hurricane Sandy, FEMA officials worked closely with members of the Cabinet, including Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Energy, and Secretary of Health and Human Services in addition to governors and mayors from affected states, and many others to ensure states and local communities have the resources they need to recover from this storm. From a federal standpoint, several steps were taken to prepare for Hurricane sandy. It takes the coordination of many agencies within the federal system as well as state and...
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...How Government Agencies Responded to Hurricane Katrina and Japan’s Tsunami Valerie F. Stokes Instructor Dr. Marion Lee PAD 525004016 201103 March 18, 2011 Introduction This research paper will explore the actions of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and whether they acted fairly and responsively in their reaction time to the flooding in New Orleans and the tsunami flooding disaster in Japan. This paper will also try and determine if the United States Army Corps of Engineers neglected its duties to inspect and repair levees that were breached in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. A qualitative approach will be used to understand why different decisions were made by a federal agency when the situations are similar and when the policy of the agencies had not changed. This approach will bring to light how the United States Army Corps of Engineers neglected to maintain civilian safety and was shielded against any charge of neglect, shielded from making any retribution to the victims of the flood and how contractors hired by the Corps of Engineers are left to fend for themselves in times of tragedy. There were two different Presidents in authority during the tragedies. President Bush ruled the nation at the time Hurricane Katrina made land fall in New Orleans and created the breach in the levees. President Obama was in authority when the earthquake/tsunami occurred in Japan. Does the political party determine how federal agencies will response to disasters? Does...
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...1. State the administrative agency which controls the regulation. Explain why this agency and your proposed regulation interests you (briefly).Will this proposed regulation affect you or the business in which you are working? If so, how? The administrative agency which controls the regulation is Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA interest me because of the process of illumination when a representative of the said agency is sent out to process information given by phone is assessed. The regulations that is used by the process of FEMA will affect one's business in case of "Mother Nature" incidents they may occur. 2. Describe the proposal/change. In any organization there are "changes" that is needed to improve any incident that will occur that one is not prepared for. Although FEMA tries to assess damages done in a timely manner, it is impossible to cover so many hurting families at one time, therefore I would perform a change in the process by allowing "hurting" families to gather together in a designated location to interview each other and find out how severe all cases are one by one especially if one stays in the same vacinty. 3. Write the public comment that you would submit to this proposal. If the proposed regulation deadline has already passed, write the comment you would have submitted. Explain briefly what you wish to accomplish with your comment. PROPOSAL President Bush declared 15 counties areas a major disaster following the...
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...Phoenix HCS 320 Health Care Communication Strategies MU13BHA08 Communication During a Crisis Situation Given the scenario, today as the director of a regional Emergency Management Office, the phone begun to ring more than usual. I had started receiving official reports that the public water supplies of several towns in the area have become contaminated with a life-threatening biological agent. Contingency plans must be addressed within the organization, and with the public without creating a panic. This paper will cover development of a communication plan, and what the communication plan should include. This paper will also cover topics regarding potential advantages, and challenges with communication, communication with the public, and private sector, message mapping, the use of social media, and how media might be used with today’s modern technology. If carefully designed, communication plan can save precious time when an emergency occurs and enable leaders and spokespersons to focus on particulars of the emergency at hand, and the quality, accuracy, and speed of their responses. To show the context of messaging as part of the overall plan, the following describes what a comprehensive communication plan should include. • Describe and designate staff roles and responsibilities for different emergency scenarios • Designate who is accountable for leading the response • Designate who is responsible for implementing various actions • Designate who needs to be consulted...
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... According to the Former Secretary of Agriculture, Ezra Taft Benson, “The most important single function of government is to secure the rights and freedoms of individual citizens. The government greatest role in our economy is to enforce laws and rules that must be abide by the people. One example of the ways that the government enforces laws and rules is by examining criminal copyright violations, get indictments and prosecute criminals for their actions. The government also supplies statutes for civil enforcement and hands jurisdiction to federal courts in order to hear a copyright case against a violator. Last but not least, the government agency plays a vital role in the time of disaster. In the aftermath of a disaster, the government offers programs that help people who have lost their homes and property due to these disasters. A program that the government provides is the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA. This program acts as quickly as possible to disaster areas to provide instant aid to those who are affected by the disaster. Then,...
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