Emergency Management Mitigation Policy Analysis and Assessment

Emergency Management (Mitigation) Policy analysis and assessment

Emergency management policy has undergone change historically and these changes have been disaster driven and administration dependent.

Early History of Emergency Management

A Congressional Act was passed in 1803 to make the provision of financial assistance to a town in New Hampshire that had been devastated by fire. This is the first involvement of the Federal government in a local disaster. In the 1930s the Reconstruction Finance Corporation along with the Bureau of Public Roads were granted authority to provide loans following disaster for repair and reconstruction of specific public facilities after disasters occurred. The Tennessee Valley Authority commonly known as TVA was created at this juncture to provide hydroelectric power and to bring about a reduction of flooding in the region. The Flood Control Act was passed in 1934 giving the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers an increased level of authority for design and construction of flood control projects.

II. The Cold War and Civil Defense

Emergency management developed further in the 1950se during what is known as the Cold War years with the primary risk for disaster being, that of potential nuclear war which would have been followed by radioactive fallout. During this time, Civil Defense was a priority in the U.S. And its communities. The Federal Civil Defense Administration was the agency in which federal support for civil defense activities was vested and is reported as an organization that had "minimal staff and financial resources, and whose main role was to provide technical assistance." (Haddow, 2006) The companion office to the FCDA was the Office of Defense Mobilization reported as having been established "under the Department of Defense (DOD)" and to have the primary function of enabling "quick mobilization of assets and materials and the production and stockpiling of critical materials in the event of a war." (Haddow, 2006) These two offices were merged in 1958 into the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization.

III. The 1960's

It is reported that three major natural disasters took place in the 1960s including an earthquake in Montano that measured 7.4 on the Richter scale; Hurricane Donna struck the West Coast of Florida and Hurricane Carla in Texas in 1961. Policy changes took place under the Kennedy Administration and President John F. Kennedy created the Office of Emergency Preparedness inside the White House to address the growing risk of natural disasters. Civil Defense responsibilities were still vested in the Office of Civil Defense within DOD. Due to the many floods of the 1960s the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 that created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was passed.

IV. The 1970s

The Disaster Relief Act was passed in 1974 due to the hurricanes during those years and a San Fernando earthquake in 1971. The most significant authority for natural disaster response and recovery was vested with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). President Carter is reported to have "transmitted to the Congress, the Reorganization Plan Number 3 (3 CFR 1978, 5 U.S. Code 903). The stated and achieved intent of this plan was to consolidate emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response activities into one federal emergency management organization. The President proclaimed that the plan would provide for the establishment of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and that the FEMA Director would report directly to the President." (Haddow, 2006) This was passed on June 19, 1978. It is reported that Reorganization Plan No.3 "transferred the following agencies or functions to FEMA: National Fire Prevention Control Administration (Department of Commerce); Federal Insurance Administration (HUD); Federal Broadcast System (Executive Office of the President); Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (DOD); Federal Disaster Assistance Administration (HUD); and the Federal Preparedness Agency (GSA)." (Haddow, 2006) Also transferred to FEMA were "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; and coordination of preparedness and planning to reduce the consequences of major terrorist incidents." (Haddow, 2006) During the 1980s, President Reagan appointed General Louis O. Guiffrida as Director of FEMA. FEMA was reorganized. General Julius Becton was reported as FEMA Director by President Reagan and is reported to have restored integrity to FEMA operations. During Reagan's presidency, Congress passed the Steward McKinney-Robert Stratford ACT. In 1992, several Hurricanes in Florida and Louisiana example the unprepared state of FEMA. FEMA was further shown as unprepared during the 1990s. Hurricane Mitch resulted in a change in foreign policy in the U.S. toward promotion of community-based mitigation projects. By the year 2001, the primary focus of emergency management became that of terrorism.