Emergency Management (MGTK 460.110) Chapter One (George, Jane, Damon 5th Edition) – Flashcards

It is important to note how local and state governments chose to administer this flood risk program. Civil defense departments usually had the responsibility to deal with risks and disaster.

In March 2002, President Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive-3(HSPD-3), which stated the following: the nation requires a homeland security advisory system to provide a comprehensive and effective means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to federal, state, and local authorities and to the American people. Such a system would provide warnings in the form of a set of graduated "threat conditions" that would increase as the risk of the threat increases. At each threat condition, federal departments and agencies would implement a corresponding set of "protective measures" to further reduce vulnerability or increase response capability during a period of heighten alert. This system is intended to create a common vocabulary, context, and structure for an ongoing national discussion about the nature of the threats that confront the homeland and the appropriate measures that should be taken in response. It seeks to inform and facilitate decisions appropriate to different levels of government and to private citizens at home and at work.

Is "a discipline that deals with risk and risk avoidance".

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was officially established by executive order 12127 of March 31, 1979(44 FR 19367, 3 CFR, Comp., p. 376). A second executive order, 12148, mandated the reassignment of agencies, of programs, and personnel into the new entity, FEMA. In addition, President Carter had problems finding a director for this new organization. No large constituent group was identified with emergency management, and at the time the administration was facing major problems with congress and the public because of the Iranian hostage crisis. John Macy, task was to unify an organization that was not only physically separated-parts of the agency were located in five different buildings around Washington-but also philosophically separate. Programs focused on nuclear war preparations were combined with programs focused on new consciousness of the environment and floodplain management. Macy focused his efforts by emphasizing the similarities between natural hazards preparedness and civil defense by developing a new concept called the integrated Emergency Management System (EMS). This system was an all-hazards approach that included direction, control, and warning as functions common to all emergencies from small, isolated events to the ultimate emergency of nuclear attack.

Sandy was the first large-scale disaster to completely apply the new National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) and has resulted in a host of issues that will need to be addressed. While the NDRF is built on a solid groundwork of agency cooperation, there is nothing that requires agencies to comply or even cooperate with, and the coordination of assets has not been forthcoming. This could be a result of the economic situation agencies are facing because of the congressionally mandated sequester of an across-the- board 5 percent reduction on federal funds

Some examples of emergency management are; the bible speaks of many disasters that befell civilizations. In fact, the account of Moses parting the Red Sea could be interpreted as the first attempt at flood control. As long as there have been disasters, individuals and communities have tried to find ways to fix them, but organized attempts at disaster recovery did not occur until much later in modern history. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led to massive organizational changes and programmatic shifts in emergency management.

The constitution gives the states the responsibility for public health and safety-hence the responsibility for public risks-with the federal government in a secondary role. The federal role is to help when the state, local, or individual entity is overwhelmed. This fundamental philosophy continues to guide the government function of emergency management.

A significant piece of emergency management legislation was passed during this time. The Flood Control Act of 1936 gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increased authority to design and build flood-control projects. This act has had a significant and long- lasting impact on emergency management in this country.

The evolution of emergency management was during the 1950s. The era of the cold war presented the principal disaster risk as the potential for nuclear war and nuclear fallout.

Disaster relief act of 1974, which was prompted by the previously mentioned hurricanes and the San Fernando earthquake of 1971, HUD posse the most significant authority for natural disaster response and recovery through the NFIP under the FIA and Federal Disaster Assistance Administration (disaster response, temporary housing and assistance). On military side were the defense Civil preparedness Agency (nuclear attack) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Flood control); however ,taking into account the broad range of risk and potential disasters, more than 100 federal agencies were involved in some aspect of risk and disasters.

On June 19, 1978, President Carter transmitted to Congress the Reorganization Plan Number 3 (3 CFR 1978, 5 U.S. Code 903). The intent of this plan was to consolidate emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response activities into federal emergency management organization. The president stated that the plan would establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and that the FEMA director would report directly to the president. Reorganization plan number 3 transferred to FEMA the National Fire Prevention Control Administration (Department of Commerce), the federal Insurances Administration (HUD), the Federal Broadcast System (Executive office of the president), defense Civil Preparedness Control Administration (Department of Defense),the federal Disaster Assistance Administration(HUD), and the federal preparedness Agency (GSA). The following emergency preparedness and mitigation functions were transferred to FEMA: • Oversight of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (Office of Science and Technology Policy) • Coordination of Dam safety (office of science and Technology Policy) • Assistance to communities in the development of readiness plans for severe weather-related emergencies. • Coordination of natural and nuclear disaster warning systems • Coordination of preparedness and planning to reduce the consequences of major terrorist incidents.

1. Federal authorities who were to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to major civil emergencies should be supervised by one official who is responsible to the president and given attention by other officials at the higher levels. 2. An effective civil defense system requires the most efficient use of all available resources. 3. Whenever possible, emergency responsibilities should be extensions of federal agencies. 4. Federal hazard mitigation activities should be closely linked with emergency preparedness and response functions.

The early-and mid-1980s saw, FEMA facing many challenges, but no significant natural disasters. The absence of the need for a coherent federal response to disasters, as was called for by Congress when it approved the established of FEMA, allowed FEMA to continue to exist as an organization of many parts. In 1982, President Reagan General Louis O. Giuffrida as director of FEMA. Giuffrida, a California friend of Ed Meese, who was one of the President's closest advisors, had a background in training and terrorism preparedness at the state government level. He proceeded to organize FEMA consistent with administration policies and his background.

When President Clinton nominated James Lee Witt to be director of FEMA, Witt breathed new life into FEMA and brought a new style of leadership to trouble agency. Witt was the first director of FEMA with emergency management experience. Witt came in with a mandate to restore the trust of the American people that their government would be there for them during crisis. He initiated sweeping reforms inside and outside the agency. Inside FEMA he reach out to all employees, implemented customer service training, and reorganized the agency to break down bottlenecks. He supported the application of new technologies to the delivery of disaster services focused on mitigation and risk avoidance. Outside the agency he, strengthen the relationships with the administration, and with the media. He opened communications, both internal and externally, was the hallmarks of the Witt years at FEMA.

This act, which authorized the greatest federal government reorganization since President Harry Truman joined the various branches of Armed forces under the Department of Defense, was charged with a threefold mission of protecting the United States from further terrorist attacks, reducing the nation's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimizing the damage from potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters.

As the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded, FEMA activated the Federal Response Plan, and response operations proceeded as expected in New York and Virginia. The strength of the U.S. Emergency Management Systems was proven; as hundreds of response personnel initiated their operations within just minutes of the onset of events. Almost immediately after the terrorist on the world trade center, the President created by executive order the office of Homeland Security within the white house. The same day that announcement was made, Tom Ridge, the Governor of Pennsylvania, was sworn in to lead the office with the title Assistant to the President. In March of 2002, President Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive-3 (HSPD-3).

There was lack of communications

The poor did nothing for themselves. The poor depended on the federal government for help.

On the other hand, DHS/FEMA used the PKEMRA requirements to deflect problem areas such as post disaster housings. PKEMRA called for a new strategy for disaster housings, and FEMA engaged other federal agencies, specially the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in development of strategy and taking on major role in providing post disaster of 2008 to mixed results.

Congress argued over disaster relief supplemental that would cover the billions of dollars anticipated for Sandy repair were being bogged down in discussions of federal deficit, whether the supplemental had to be to offset by other federal budget dollars (which had never happened before). Sandy was the first large-scale disaster to completely apply the new National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) and has resulted in a host of issues that will need to be addressed. While is built on a solid groundwork of agency cooperation, there is nothing that requires agencies to comply or even cooperate with, and the coordination of assets has not been forthcoming. The ambitious goals of the NDRF will get a true testing as a local community and states face long-term recovery decisions. Another major issue, which will be tested, is how these communities will rebuild. Without an advocate for long-term mitigation strategies to be incorporated into the rebuilding-a position FEMA once held-pressures are already building to use structural solutions along the New Jersey shore to rebuild beaches that erode even more quickly in the future and impact communities for years to come.