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 secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security,the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11,2001.
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 originally 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.
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.
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.
David Peter Pekoske is an American government official and retired U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral who has served as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since 2017. 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 is the 7th United States Secretary of Homeland Security,serving since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party,Mayorkas previously served as 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 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.
Linda Lee Fagan is a United States Coast Guard admiral who serves as the 27th Commandant of the Coast Guard. Previously,in 2021 she became the 32nd Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Coast Guard’s first female four-star admiral. Before that,she was the commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area with prior terms as Coast Guard Deputy for Operations,Policy,and Capabilities,commander,First Coast Guard District,and commander,Coast Guard Sector New York. Fagan is also the Coast Guard's first Gold Ancient Trident,the officer with the longest service record in the Marine Safety Field. In April 2021,Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced her nomination as the next Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard,succeeding Charles W. Ray. She was confirmed on June 17,2021,and assumed office on June 18.
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.
Jonathan Eugene Meyer is an American lawyer and government official who has served as the sixth general counsel of the United States Department of Homeland Security since 2021.
The Disinformation Governance Board (DGB) was an advisory board of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS),announced on April 27,2022. 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.
United States 
United States Air Force 
Senior Master Sergeant 
