Chicago, IL - The fury of Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Iniki, Hurricane Hugo, the Los Angeles Riots, and the San Francisco earthquake can not be equaled by the feelings some devastated disaster victims have towards our nation's lead emergency management agency. Pointed criticism and tales of ineptitude, insensitively, and "foot-dragging" continue to plague the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and it's leadership.
"One of the most basic problems, and most frequent criticisms of FEMA is that they aren't prepared for those critical first, few, days after a major disaster occurs", according to Clark Staten of the Chicago-based Emergency Response & Research Institute. "This was particularly true of Hurricane Andrew, where local emergency response agencies were unable to provide even the very rudimentary rescue/medical care services that were required", Staten continued. "Unfortunately, people seem to have developed an attitude that FEMA and the U.S. Military can come and `rescue' them within a moments' notice...when that doesn't happen they are disappointed, hurt, and angry", the veteran emergency manager added.
Staten said that there are several fundemental problems with both people's expectations and FEMA's capabilities to fulfill the needs. "First and foremost, FEMA's legislative mandate, which gives it the power to act, didn't forsee the necessity for it to act in a `first responder role' following a disaster', Staten said. "Next... FEMA does not have the appropriately trained personnel to effectively manage an `at- the-scene' rescue/relief operation; they were trained for a planning and administrative role which isn't consistent with the immediate needs of an already overwhelmed community", he continued.
"Thirdly, FEMA has been continually criticized for spending all of their time and money planning for a massive nuclear exchange, rather than attending to the domestic agenda of on- going natural and man-made disasters that seem to be occuring with amazing regularity", the emergency analyst added. "Fourth, FEMA must come into the `information age', with the necessary mobile communications and computer resources, databases, and analysts capable of anticipating and assessing the logistical and personnel needs of any striken area", Staten said.
"Fifth, the agency must hire a core group of experienced and respected emergency managers from law enforcement, fire suppression, rescue, emergency medical services, hazardous materials, and other specialty professions to act as `on- scene' FEMA coordinators, and if need be, to function in a `command and control' capacity at a major catastrophe", he continued.
"If you'd like...these veteran emergency responders could be grouped into FEMA "A" Teams, similar in concept to that used by the U.S. Army Special Forces...to act in an advisory capacity unless specifically needed to undertake an operational role at the scene", Staten said. Staten also noted that such an organizational change could also help to dispell a widely-held Congressional belief that "all FEMA employees are there because of their political connections, rather than their professional credentials".
"Lastly", Staten added, "this is a most opportune time for a major reorganization at FEMA...President-Elect Clinton can be expected to undertake reforms in the various agencies under his direct command, and FEMA is one of those agencies". "President Clinton could `clean house' at FEMA without the political repercussions that affected President Bush during a hotly contested campaign, and do so in such a way to establish FEMA as one of the premier emergency management agencies in the entire world", Staten concluded.
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