The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS),initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders on April 1,1979. 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. The only exception to the state's gubernatorial declaration requirement occurs when an emergency 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.
James Lee Witt is a former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),during the tenure of U.S. President Bill Clinton and is often credited with raising the agency's level of professionalism and ability to respond to disasters.
Michael DeWayne Brown is an American attorney,and former government official who served as the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 2003 to 2005. He joined FEMA as general counsel in 2001 and became deputy director the same year. Appointed in January 2003 by President George W. Bush to lead FEMA,Brown resigned in September 2005 following his controversial handling of Hurricane Katrina. Brown currently hosts a radio talk show on 630 KHOW in Denver,Colorado.
This article contains a historical timeline of the events of Hurricane Katrina on August 23–30,2005 and its aftermath.
The National Response Plan (NRP) was a United States national plan to respond to emergencies such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks. It came into effect in December 2004,and was superseded by the National Response Framework on March 22,2008.
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is a 1988 United States federal law designed to bring an orderly and systematic means of federal natural disaster assistance for state and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities to aid citizens. Congress's intention was to encourage states and localities to develop comprehensive disaster preparedness plans,prepare for better intergovernmental coordination in the face of a disaster,encourage the use of insurance coverage,and provide federal assistance programs for losses due to a disaster.
Robert David Paulison is an American former fire chief who served as the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Paulison was appointed by President George W. Bush on September 12,2005,to replace the embattled Michael D. Brown,who resigned amid controversy over his handling of disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Prior to his appointment,Paulison was perhaps best known nationally for his 2003 advisory regarding household items to have on hand in case of terrorist attack. At the 2009 National Hurricane Conference,he announced he would resign January 21,2009.
Harvey Elwood Johnson Jr.,retired Vice Admiral,United States Coast Guard,is the President of Humanitarian Services for the American Red Cross. Previously,Johnson was the former Vice President for National Preparedness and Response Solutions at BAE Systems and Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Urban Search and Rescue Utah Task Force 1 is one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Urban Search &Rescue Task Forces in the United States. The task force is based in Salt Lake City,Utah and is managed by the Unified Fire Authority. Activation of the task force is accomplished by the State of Utah,or FEMA for rapid deployment of the Task Force,modular or single US&R resources. The task force is self-sufficient for up to 72 hours and includes physicians,search dogs,heavy rescue technicians firefighters and paramedics,and structural engineers. The Task Force manages 6.3 million dollars in specialized vehicles and equipment that is maintained by personnel trained by FEMA.
The term FEMA trailer,or FEMA travel trailer,is the name commonly given by the United States government to forms of temporary manufactured housing assigned to the victims of natural disaster by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Such trailers are intended to provide intermediate term shelter,functioning longer than tents which are often used for short-term shelter immediately following a disaster. FEMA trailers serve a similar function to the "earthquake shacks" erected to provide interim housing after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Andrew Velasquez III is the former Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),Region V. He coordinated preparedness,response,recovery,and mitigation activities for the states of Illinois,Indiana,Michigan,Minnesota,Ohio,and Wisconsin. Prior to his appointment as Region V administrator he served as Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Executive Director of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communication.
Nancy L. Ward is the Director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and Homeland Security Adviser to the Governor of California. Previously,Ward served in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as the Regional Administrator for Region IX from 2006 until 2014. During this time,from January until May of 2009,Ward was selected to serve as FEMA's Acting Administrator by her predecessor,R. David Paulison to serve in his place after he retired on January 21,2009. She returned to the position of Region IX Administrator in May 2009 after Craig Fugate was appointed as Federal Administrator.
The Disaster Accountability Project (DAP) is a non-partisan watchdog organization dedicated to improving disaster management systems. DAP was founded in 2007 by Ben Smilowitz as a reaction to the responses to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. DAP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is a 2008 Echoing Green fellowship organization.
Elizabeth M. Harman is general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) in Washington,D.C. Prior to this,beginning in 2013,she served as its assistant to the general president for grants administration and HazMat/WMD Training Division.
The Waffle House Index is a metric named after the ubiquitous Southern US restaurant chain Waffle House known for its 24-hour,365-day service. Since this restaurant always remains open,it has given rise to an informal but useful metric to determine the severity of a storm and the likely scale of assistance required for disaster recovery. It was coined by former administrator Craig Fugate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The metric is unofficially used by FEMA to inform disaster response.
In late October 2012,the post-tropical cyclone once known as Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New Jersey. By the time it made landfall,it had merged with other storm systems. Though no longer a hurricane,the combined storm caused over $50 billion in damages and cost over 100 lives in the United States.
Robert J. Fenton Jr is an American governmental official who worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1996 and was appointed Regional Administrator for FEMA Region IX:Arizona,California,Hawaii,Nevada,and the Pacific Islands in July 2015. He had a leadership role in the development of the National Incident Management System and the National Response Framework.
William Brockmann Long is an American emergency manager who served as the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump in April 2017 and confirmed by the United States Senate in June 2017. He served until his resignation in March 2019,following criticism of his handling of the Hurricane Maria and an ethical complaint over using official vehicles.
Peter Thomas Gaynor is an American Certified Emergency Manager who served briefly as acting Secretary of Homeland Security under President Trump. Gaynor previously served as administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He was appointed as Acting Administrator by President Donald Trump on March 8,2019,and became Administrator on January 16,2020.
Michael A. Sprayberry is an American emergency manager who served as the Director of Emergency Management in the North Carolina Department of Public Safety from 2013 to 2021. He oversaw the state's emergency response to several major disasters including Hurricane Matthew,Hurricane Florence,and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
