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.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) is a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) located in Frederick County,Maryland,near Emmitsburg. Per the official website,"the mission of the U.S. Fire Administration is to support and strengthen fire and emergency medical services (EMS) and stakeholders to prepare for,prevent,mitigate and respond to all hazards".
New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) was formed in 1996 as part of the Mayor's Office under Rudolph W. Giuliani. By a vote of city residents in 2001 it became an independent agency,headed by the commissioner of emergency management. In 2006 the office was reorganized under the deputy mayor for administration by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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.
Karen Pomerantz Tandy is an American attorney and law enforcement official who served as the 9th Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration from 2003 to 2007. She was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 31,2003. She was the first female head of the DEA. Since 2016 she has served on the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
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.
William Craig Fugate is the former administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As director for the Florida Emergency Management Division,he oversaw the "Big 4 of '04" and as the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency,he organized recovery efforts for a record of eighty-seven disasters in 2011.
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA),formerly known as the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) and,prior to that,as the Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN),is an alerting network in the United States designed to disseminate emergency alerts to cell phones using Cell Broadcast technology. Organizations are able to disseminate and coordinate emergency alerts and warning messages through WEA and other public systems by means of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
David Peter Pekoske is an American government official and retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral who served as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from 2017 to 2025. He served as the acting deputy secretary of homeland security from April to November 2019 and again from January to June 2021. From January 20,2021 to February 2,2021 he served as acting secretary of homeland security,during the Senate confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas. Pekoske retired with 33 years of active military service in 2010 as the 26th vice commandant of the Coast Guard.
Alejandro Nicolas Mayorkas is an American attorney and government official who was the 7th United States secretary of homeland security,serving from 2021 until 2025. A member of the Democratic Party,Mayorkas previously served as the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013,and the 6th deputy secretary of homeland security from 2013 to 2016.
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.
The presidential transition of Joe Biden began on November 7,2020,and ended on January 20,2021. Unlike previous presidential transitions,which normally take place during the roughly 10-week period between the election in the first week of November and the inauguration on January 20,Biden's presidential transition was shortened somewhat because the General Services Administration under the outgoing first Trump administration did not recognize Biden as the "apparent winner" until November 23.
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.
Cory Lee Mills is an American politician,businessman,and Army combat veteran who has served as the U.S. representative from Florida's 7th congressional district since 2023. He previously served as a Trump appointee on the Defense Business Board from 2020 to 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Erik Adrian Hooks is an American public safety official who is currently serving as the deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He previously served as secretary of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety from January 2017 to August 2021.
The Disinformation Governance Board (DGB) was an advisory board of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS),from April 27,2022 to August 24,2022. The board's stated function was to protect national security by disseminating guidance to DHS agencies on combating misinformation,malinformation,and disinformation that threatens the security of the homeland. Specific problem areas mentioned by the DHS included false information propagated by human smugglers encouraging migrants to surge to the Mexico–United States border,as well as Russian-state disinformation on election interference and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Late in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season,misinformation and conspiracy theories spread about the nature of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton,and about the post-storm disaster recoveries. False information was spread by several American right-wing personalities and politicians,including Donald Trump,the 2024 Republican presidential candidate. These widespread rumors caused significant difficulties for first responders and official recovery workers,hampering rescue efforts,and some officials were subject to threats of violence. The White House and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued statements in response to these claims.
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