FEMA & Robert T. Stafford Act of 1988
Disaster relief has been an issue of significant focus for the federal government through the Federal Emergency Management Agency was not created until 1978. The significance of disaster relief for the federal government is evident in the creation of the earliest piece of federal legislation in 1803. The federal government created the Congressional Act of 1803 as its earliest legislative attempt to address disaster relief. Since the enactment of this first piece of legislation, the federal government has prioritized disaster relief and management since the country has been characterized by increased incidents of natural and man-made disasters. Some of these efforts undertaken by the federal government include the enactment of Robert T. Stafford Act of 1988 and the establishment of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Reasons and Events that Lead to Creation of FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Act was established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter following increased pressure by state governors. President Carter signed an executive order in this year that created this agency whose main objective is to lead the country in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters on the premise of a nation prepared. Since inception, this agency has continued to protect and serve Americans with regards to handling and managing emergencies. Actually, the role of the agency entails coordinating the role of the federal government in preparing for, preventing, and lessening the impacts of all natural and man-made disasters or emergencies including terrorism. In addition, this agency also coordinates federal government's role in responding to and recovering from such incidents (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2015). Since its inception, the agency has developed to an extent that it currently has more than ten regional offices throughout the country in order to enhance disaster preparedness and management.
The creation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fueled by several reasons and incidents that were taking place in the United States with regards to disaster and emergency. Some of these major reasons and events that contributed to creation of FEMA include
Natural Disasters
Natural disasters were crucial events and factors that influenced the creation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1979. During the period between 1960s and 1970s, the United States was hit by a series of significant natural disasters that had devastating impacts on the lives and property of American people. Some of the major natural disasters that took place during this decade include the Ash Wednesday Storm in 1962, the destructive earthquake in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1964, 1965 Hurricane Betsy, and Hurricane Camille in 1969 (Emergency Management Institute, n.d.). The federal government responded to these disasters just like it responded to previous ones through enacting ad hoc legislation for disaster relief funds. A discussion of insurance as a safeguard against future natural disasters such as floods and means to lessen constant government help in the aftermath of disasters soon emerged following the significant financial losses brought by Hurricane Betsy in Florida and Louisiana. Actually, Congressional interest towards disaster relief emerged due to the unavailability of flood protection insurance despite the increase in natural disasters across the country. These discussions prompted the development and enactment of improved legislation including Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and paved way for establishment of FEMA in the following decade.
Calls for National Focus
The second reason for the creation or establishment of Federal Emergency Management Act was the call for a national focus to disaster relief and emergency management in the aftermath of a series of major natural disasters across the United States between 1960 and 1970. As previously mentioned, President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order in 1979 for the creation of this agency following increased pressure by state governors. The state governors seemingly compelled President Carter to create this agency because of increased calls for a national focus on emergency management and disaster relief. These calls emerged from the fact that emergency management during this period was characterized by a scattered trend of placement of functions relating to disaster relief or management. These functions were parallel and contributed to increased confusion and turf war during emergency response. Actually, more than 100 various federal agencies were collectively engaged in disaster relief efforts. However, these efforts were characterized by confusion as Americans complained regarding poor coordination and outcomes of emergency response initiatives. This prompted increased calls for a national and centralized emergency management framework that led to creation of FEMA.
Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Accident
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Accident in a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania was a major incident...
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
Emergency The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic posed enormous challenges for state health departments across the United States. This case focuses on Tennessee which endured an intense resurgence of the disease in 2009 and explores how state health officials, working with their partners from public and private sectors, mobilized in advance for the second wave of the disease. An array of preparedness efforts, such as the development of mechanisms for distributing
Emergency Management Disasters are political occurrences; they can either destroy or glorify politicians. The spectacular temperament of disasters calls for the involvement of these chief executives and they test their leadership merits. How politicians control these rare occurrences can frame how their whole term in office receive judgments. During his last White House Press Conference, President George W. Bush was asked about the mistake he made during his reign, and among
Emergency, Planning and Operations Methodology In your opinion what were the main issues expressed by the States Concerning Homeland Security and states rights at the 2002 State Emergency Response Commission Conference? Please justify your position. Most of the states attending the 2002 State Emergency Response Conference expressed an overall sentiment that in relation to security, things are going to vary from state to state based on the capabilities of the emergency response agencies
According to the Congressman, there is a basic lack of interoperability across more than 80% of the United States' first responders. They are not able to communicate with each other, and are therefore also not able to launch adequate rescue operations, particularly during times of large-scale emergencies. According to the report, it was found that at least 121 of the 343 fire fighters who died could have been saved had
Federal Budget Process Every year the federal administration is involved with a total revenue and expenditure of about 1.5 trillion USD as a matter of fiscal practice. (Keith, 1996) The budgetary strategy of the federal administration is an integration of the guidelines that the policy makers, legislator, bureaucrats apply for designing, continuing, regulating and accounting fro the expenditure and revenue strategy. Normally the budgetary strategy involves formulation of the budget of
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now