Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA) places specific emphasis on providing assistance and instruction on how to respond to emergencies. The website offers a vast amount of information that can be of benefit to public health nurses when they planned an emergency plan. The area that can be of greatest value to public health nurses is Neighborhood Lifelines implementation Toolkit, and podcast from FEMA. The Community Lifeline toolkit offers information and guidance as to how to reply and operate properly to restore the community after the disaster. This is true that it can be difficult to restore the community after a tragedy, without setting plans and resources. I, therefore, assume that the use of the Neighborhood Lifeline tool kit is one of the key public health tools. The podcast includes audio series and continuing emergency management creativity. Often, we fail to train our kids in emergencies. The podcast recently brought attention to how children can cope with or respond in emergencies. It is a perfect episode for a school nurse to use and integrate into workshops on emergency preparedness. The podcast can also help public health care nurses stay up-to-date with current regional and national improvements. (‘FEMA’, ed.)Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

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The FEMA Website is useful for Public Health Nurse Disaster Management. Faith-Based Community Preparedness can plan for potential emergencies such as fires, tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and active shooters. The recourses provide faith and community leaders and employers information and education on how to prepare for and mitigate against an emergency or disaster (FEMA, 2020). The training play books provide testing and evaluation on how to respond to a natural or emergency disaster, including active shooting and bomb preventing. Nurses should educate and train within health organizations to understand their roles and responsibilities and be ready to respond to those in need.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

Special Topics in Business Introduction The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is responsible for coordinating the government’s role in preparation, prevention, response and recovery from domestic disaster, whether they be natural or man-made. FEMA.gov lists 1849 total disasters declared since 1953, with an average of 32 each year (13). This particular agency has generated a lot of praise and but just as much criticism. Over the course of FEMA’s history, there are many lessons to be learned and FEMA is always looking for ways to be more effective. This paper will examine the history of FEMA, evaluate its performance over the years and pinpoint lessons to be learned and actions to be taken. History and Purpose of…show more content…
Now, DHS has to share its money with the department as a whole. FEMA’s funding comes from the President’s budget, but it is in direct competition with all of the other administration’s current interests, particular with its sister departments within DHS. FEMA often takes a backseat to terrorism. In the integration of FEMA into the DHS, FEMA had to contribute to the start-up costs of the new department, but unfortunately evidence suggests that the agency may have been made to pay a disproportionately higher amount than larger agencies. FEMA officials say this directly affected their levels of service in 2004 and 2005 (14). In the integration, FEMA lost some programs, but lost major ones as well (14). In 2005, plans continued to reduce FEMA. Director at the time, Michael Brown, wrote a memo in June expressing his concern about the agency’s future if the cuts continued (13). Perhaps the most ironic cut was the disaster planning exercise “Hurricane Pam.” This exercise, in which outlines a scenario where a disastrous hurricane hits New Orleans, leaving more than 100,000 people in the city, began a year before Katrina. The exercise was never finished because the Bush Administration cut funding (13). But it doesn’t look like FEMA is going anywhere. Inspector General Richard Skinner wrote a 2009 report in which he said, “Removing FEMA from DHS at this point would cause considerable upheaval, to both FEMA and the department.” (11)Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a body under the United States Department of Homeland Security that was created in 1978 to improve the safety of the American residents, especially during disasters. FEMA has a primary mandate of coordinating the response to any disaster that may occur in the U.S. and that overwhelms both local and state authorities’ resources. FEMA comes in to aid only after the governor of the involved state has declared a state of emergency and has made a formal request. However, there is an exception to the gubernatorial declaration requirement, when an emergency occurs on a federal property such as the Space Shuttle Columbia experienced in the 2003 return-flight disaster (“About the FEMA Agency”, 2016). The Hurricane Katrina disaster highly challenged the operations of FEMA thereby leading to great changes in the agency. The Storm that is ranked as the third most intense U.S.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

The history of FEMA dates back to over 200 years ago. However, FEMA was founded in 1979 through merging of several other disaster related organizations such as the Federal preparedness Agency, the National Fire Control and Prevention Administration (FA), and the Federal Insurance Administration (FIA) among others (Lindell 34). The aim of merging this disaster related organizations into one agency (FEMA) was to enable discharge of responsibilities from one central point to ensure that efficiency was maintained (Haddow, p 3). FEMA is located within the Department of Homeland Security, and it is charged with responsibilities of coordinating and responding to both man-made and natural disasters that fall under the mandate of the federal government (White, p. 578). For over 30 years, FEMA has contributed immensely in responding to disasters such as earthquakes, acts of terror, fires, and storms among others forms of disasters. In essence, it is tasked with a huge responsibility of dealing with major disasters.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

Various agencies fall under FEMA, and are related in one way or another (Lindell, Perry, and Prater 49). One of the agencies that fall under FEMA is the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA) agency founded in 1979. This agency was established to help people purchase insurance against disasters such as floods and to advise people on how to mitigate effects associated with flood (Charles and White, p. 150). In discharging its mandate, FIMA communicates and explains how to deal with various risks with other agencies.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay The second agency that falls under FEMA is the Fire Administration (FA) founded in 1974. This agency offers national leadership aimed at fostering ways to respond, prevent, and prepare against fire emergencies (Bush, p. 230). The third agency under FEMA is the National Weather Service (NWS). This is a voluntary program designed to help communities prepare and mitigate impacts of harsh weather conditions. Although NWS is a separate entity from FEMA in dealing with pre-disaster mitigation programs, both agencies maintain good relations by supplementing each other and focusing on communicating the importance of community readiness and mitigation processes to save lives. Lastly, Federal Disaster Assistance (FDA) agency was on founded 1974. FDA is tasked with offering direct assistance to persons or families who have lost property or their property has been damaged in a disaster that the federal government has an interest in. Some of the assistance offered by this agency includes temporary housing, crisis counseling, grants, and loans to families or affected individuals, consumer aid, legal services, and disaster unemployment benefits.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

These different organizations under FEMA are related in various ways (Kapucu, p. 35). For instance, all work under FEMA to ensure service delivery to Americans in an efficient and timely manner by supporting and supplementing each other. Secondly, each agency is tasked with different independent roles and responsibilities in management of disasters to ensure that there is no conflict in delivery of services to the people. Thirdly, one director appointed by the president governs them. This director acts as a unifying factor and ensures good relations between different agencies through proper condition of various activities. Lastly, the common relation that exists between these different agencies is the need to provide efficient services to Americans who are affected by disasters (Lindell, Perry, and Prater 79).Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

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Conclusively, the history of FEMA is quite rich and offers evolution ways, which has enabled America to metamorphosis in dealing with either man-made or natural disasters (Tierney and Barbara, p. 47) The role of FEMA is to deal with disasters that are beyond the means of the local or state governments, and those that are considered to be of national interest. Consequently, over the years, FEMA has proved to be a useful tool in dealing with disasters such as terror, earthquakes, floods, storms, and fire. However, FEMA faces various challenges such as being condemned for being slow in dealing with disasters and low funding (Schneider , p. 515 and Hobijn, p 25). Nonetheless, FEMA remains a vital organ in times of disasters.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

FEMA’s (Federal Emergency Management Agency) “role in preparedness is to improve the citizens’ ability to respond to, prepare for, recover from, and prevent disasters” (Department of Homeland Security 1). According to the organization’s website, its vision is “A Nation Prepared”. The role of FEMA is to coordinate the federal government’s involvement in disaster preparedness.
Consequently, FEMA steps in when local and state authorities do not have the capacity to handle a certain disaster. FEMA’s main strength is that the agency is the most well-equipped disaster preparedness agency in the country. Therefore, the agency has the ability to marshal the necessary resources in times of disaster.

FEMA’s preparedness programs are also effective because the agency operates independently as a branch of Homeland Security. Some of the preparedness programs that FEMA is currently undertaking involve readiness against man-made and natural disasters. One of FEMA’s weaknesses is that it lacks the capacity to be fully prepared against mega disasters and emergencies.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

This weakness prompted FEMA’s change of status from a fully independent body to an affiliate of the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA’s lack of preparedness was highlighted after the agency was overwhelmed in its response to the Hurricane-Katrina disaster. Another area of weakness for FEMA is the agency’s systemic shortfalls that inhibit the scope of its preparedness programs.

These systemic incapacities include FEMA’s affiliation to the Department of Homeland Security, its regional presence across the country, and its grant allocation modalities. The opportunities that can eliminate these weaknesses include Congress legislations and a redefinition of FEMA’s institution. Legislations have the ability to improve FEMA’s preparedness programs.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

The National Response Framework (NRF) is a representation of “the guiding principles that enable all response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emergencies – from the smallest incident to the largest catastrophe” (Nicholson 79). The NRF is a recognized set of guidelines that defines how all citizens should respond to a disaster as a nation.

The NRF came about as an initiative of the Department of Homeland Security and its aim was to unify the country’s domestic preparedness and response. NRF utilizes the nation’s NIMS (National Incident Management System) and ICS (Incident Command System) to implement disaster response in any administrative level and at any given time.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

NRF operates under five distinct principles including tiered response, engaged partnership, scalable operations, readiness to act, and united effort. These principles tend to enhance the partnership between NRF and local communities. Communities across the country utilize the NRF by aligning their activities with those of the government.

Consequently, communities will align their response programs, resources, and support mechanisms with government-led initiatives. The NRF is quite effective when delivering its services. The NRF has managed to bestow citizens with an active role in disaster preparedness. The partnership between communities and the NRF is indiscriminate in nature.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

Furthermore, the NRF is a representation of the citizens’ need to take charge in preparedness matters (Waugh and Streib 138). Previously, the responsibility of preparedness was solely bestowed upon the government and other units of administration.

However, due to the NRF citizens are now actively involved in disaster response programs. For example, American citizens have been actively involved in several hurricane-disaster responses over the last decade.

Most natural and man-made disasters can be traced back to poor management of the environment and global warming. Forestry management has been known to limit the extent of disasters both directly and indirectly. For instance, the impact of the 2004 Tsunami disaster was largely reduced by mangrove forests and other coastal tree plantations that slowed down the tidal waves.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

Forestry management has a significant impact on the context of forest fire disasters. Forest fire disasters can be significantly reduced by good forestry management practices. Good forestry management practices include a protection of the undergrowth, use of segments that can institute control burn strategies, adequate firefighting resources, use of forest-fuel modification systems, and installment of quick forest fire detectors.

Communities that are afflicted by natural disasters such as Tsunamis, floods, and forest fires should take good forestry-management initiatives. Controlled burn is a strategy that is used to reduce the impact of fire disasters (Dale 730). Control burns are intentional man-made fires that are meant to reduce fuel for disastrous fires.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay

The advantages of the control burn strategy include its effective and inexpensive nature. However, controlled fires are disadvantageous because they are not always controllable and they can still end up being disastrous. Furthermore, control burn strategy is not environment-friendly.Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay