FEMA: Rescuers or redundant?

FEMA

"A Nation Prepared" is FEMA's motto, however, ironically FEMA is more than not called upon when the best laid plans have gone awry and the US is facing a major emergency.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is a unique agency; its primary purpose 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", such as a natural disaster or even a terrorist attack.

In essence, it is often called upon when a situation has gotten so bad that the state governor is forced to declared a state of emergency and request national assistance from the President and the federal government.

Whilst on paper, any agency that engages in disaster and relief support sounds like a group that should be revered alongside fire-fighters, coastguards and medics, FEMA often finds itself publicly criticized and scorned for its actions.

Slow to react and ineffective?

Most famously, in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the agency sent 100,000 formaldehyde-laced trailers to New Orleans to cater for the millions of homeless. But people soon began to fall ill due to the high levels of the chemical - something that is used in building materials and that can cause breathing problems and even cancer - that were found inside.

The trailers represented a massive failure of the part of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina, mainly due to the overwhelming number of evacuees that swamped rescue personnel. Despite the flood waters hampering transportation and rescue efforts, FEMA's response was deemed to slow and ineffective for those that had been affected by the disaster.

It had been the first time the agency had operated under the Department of Homeland Security since the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed in order to "better co-ordinate among the different federal agencies that deal with law enforcement, disaster preparedness and recovery, border protection and civil defense." As baptisms of fire go, it was probably amongst the worst.

However, even before the 2002 Act, FEMA's track record was hardly perfect. As the agency currently tries to help those in Haiti (and not with trailers as has been reported by some outlets), we look back at how the agency has come to the aid of US citizens when disaster has struck... even if help has come a little too late.

Hurricane Andrew (1992)

Until Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Hurricane Andrew was the most devastating hurricane in terms of property damage, causing $38.1 billion. With winds of 165 mph, 250,000 people were left homeless, yet FEMA were accused of not responding fast enough to house, feed and tend to those affected.

In fact, their response was summed up by Kate Hale, emergency management director for Dale County, Florida, who famously exclaimed, "Where in the hell is the cavalry on this one?"

It took five days after the storm to deploy 20,000 National Guard and troops to the area to set up housing. But most worryingly, some of the issues that happened during Andrew were also repeated during Katrina - some 13 years later.

9/11 (2001)

As well as most of the country's emergency services, FEMA was activated during the 11 September attacks in New York, FEMA activated 25 of the 28 Urban Search and Rescue teams, sending five to the Pentagon and 20 to the World Trade Centre.

Despite this, FEMA's role came in the aftermath of the attack when it came to the appropriation of federal funds to aid local and state governments in paying for the disaster.

Buffalo snowstorm (2006)

Three days after a major snowstorm hit Buffalo, New York FEMA finally arrived, despite locals suffering downed power wires, downed trees, and structural damage to homes and businesses. However, in this case, the Governor of the state of New York had not asked for FEMA's aid from the outset of the storm...

California wildfires (2007)

One of the biggest recent disasters on the part of FEMA came when the agency staged a press conference featuring Deputy Administrator Harvey E. Johnson. Instead of facing reporters, Johnson instead fielded lax and soft questions from FEMA employees posing as journalists.

Doing the best they can?

If these examples weren't bad enough, FEMA was criticised in the Cato Institutes's Handbook for Congress as an example of a government agency that should be mothballed with their tasks given to private companies to perform.

"Any time there is a natural disaster FEMA is trotted out as an example of how well government programs work. In reality, by using taxpayer dollars to provide disaster relief and subsidized insurance, FEMA itself encourages Americans to build in disaster-prone areas and makes the rest of us pick up the tab for those risk decisions.

"In a well-functioning private marketplace, individuals who chose to build houses in flood plains or hurricane zones would bear the cost of the increased risk through higher insurance premiums. FEMA's activities undermine that process. Americans should not be forced to pay the cost of rebuilding oceanfront summer homes. This $4 billion-a-year agency should be abolished."

Despite providing support for those in need, it would appear that it is FEMA itself that needs the greatest relief. However, the agency is often working in dire and extreme situations, and often even the entire of resources of the US government aren't enough to get through flooded plains and damaged roads. So do we expect too much from FEMA or are they simply doing the best they can under the worse posible conditions?

Relevant articles:

The purpose of Homeland Security | Obama surveys New Orleans recovery efforts | Deadly tsunamis hit Samoa

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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