The Federal Policy On Disaster Relief And Emergency...

One topic that is in the cross fire on debates all the time is the federal policy on disaster relief, and disaster preparedness. The federal government has programs put into place to help the victims of natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tornados. Some of these disaster relief programs are The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and The Red Cross. These programs have many policies in place, but some feel that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to improve these policies. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act is mainly focused on response. The government was nowhere near prepared in 2005 when hurricane Katrina struck, then shortly followed by hurricane Rita. â€Å"In 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed thousands of homes and displaced over 1 million people. In light of widespread Congressional and public interest in U.S. agencies’ p erformance in assisting hurricane victims, GAO initiated work under the Comptroller General’s authority to examine federal housing assistance.† (GAO Reports. 2007.) The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for â€Å"consolidating existing federal government response plans into a single, coordinated national response plan.† (GAO Reports. 2007.) The Homeland Security Act of 2002 allows them to handle all sorts of disasters from natural disasters to terrorist attacks. DHS also â€Å"Operates the FederalShow MoreRelatedFederal Emergency Management Agency System1257 Words   |  6 Pages Allison Taggart Federal Emergency Management Agency SEMT335-E1WW January 31, 2015 Federal Emergency Management Agency Creation The Federal Emergency Management Agency can be traced back to the Congressional Act of 1803. This act was the result of an extensive fire in a New Hampshire town needing assistance, and is generally considered to be the first piece of disaster legislation (About the Agency, 2014). Over the next century or so, disaster legislation was put to use in responseRead MoreThe Government s Support During Domestic Disasters897 Words   |  4 Pagesleadership The role of the FEMA is to coordinate federal government’s support during domestic disasters. There are some politicians such as former presidential candidate Mitt Romney who believe states and the private sector should actually have the sole responsibility of managing emergencies in response to to natural disasters in their jurisdiction (Duffy, 2012). But one has to question; do states have the resources to manage their own natural disasters? Hurricane Katrina shows us individual statesRead MoreEmergency Planning For A Worst Case Scenario905 Words   |  4 Pagesback at the past eight weeks’, disasters have continued to occur across the United States. There have been riots in Baltimore Maryland, wildfires throughout the state of California and most of the Western United States, and more recently flooding in south-central New Orleans. As first responders, like the rest of the world, we wake up in the morning put both feet on the floor, go through some morning routi ne and most often fail to realize that today’s the day a disaster will occur. It may not be theRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency1005 Words   |  5 Pages In 1979 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created to offer services the states had not substantially invested in and the consumer market had not offered (Moynihan, 2013). The idea was that on a national level it would be cheaper to establish one higher level agency to develop expertise on how to deal with disasters (Moynihan, 2013). Our national government has the ability to create and enforce common policies which would avoid the confusion of multiple state, local and nationalRead MoreDisaster Management Policies and Systems in Pakistan13687 Words   |  55 PagesA Review of Disaster Management Policies and Systems in Pakistan for WCDR 2005 January, 2005 Islamabad Abbreviations 1 ADB Asian Development Bank AJK Azad Jammu Kashmir DCO District Coordination Officer DERA Drought Emergency Relief Assistance DANIDA Danish International Development Assistance ECF Energy Conservation Fund EIA Environmental Impact Assessment ERC Emergency Relief Cell FATA Federally Administered Tribal Areas FFC Federal Flood Commission GDO Goods Dispatch OrganizationRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency1348 Words   |  6 Pagesweather patterns and global climate become more understood, in context, with great concern, the federal government has placed an ever larger portion of its national focus on promoting a more efficient response to such concern via disaster mitigation and management with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A historical extension of the federal government for which is principle utilized for disaster aid and response, this agency is as much a direct extension of the current presidential administrationRead MoreEssay on National Disaster Medical S ystem1519 Words   |  7 PagesCitizens of the United States face catastrophic disaster such as hurricane, tornadoes, hazmat spills and flooding. Emergency management situations varies. Managers have to put into consideration the type of disasters or the response of citizens. A great example, the hurricane in Tuscaloosa, AL required large amounts of medical and debris assistance from teams to help return the destructed site back to prior condition. National Disaster Medical Systems would be one of the first to respond if thereRead MoreIndia National Committee on Disaster Management1244 Words   |  5 PagesIndia: National Committee on Disaster Management (NCDM) Since independence in 1947, India has developed a nationwide relief administration but with the primary responsibility placed on State Governments to play the lead role. It has raised a specific structure for disaster management in the recent years. The structure is as under:- Figure 3-6 NDMA - India (Source: NDMA, India) †¢ Mandate ïÆ' ¼ The Central Government plays a number of important roles in the primary relief functions relating to warningRead MorePublic Policy And Natural Disasters2176 Words   |  9 PagesPublic Policy and Natural Disasters In the United States, people who live in poverty are already one of the most vulnerable populations and it is this population that is heavily impacted by public policy relating to natural disasters. Often, public policies relating to disaster preparedness and recovery are not discussed until after a natural disaster takes place which is too late to do any good for the people affected and who are devastated almost beyond comprehension. The role of government inRead MoreNatural Disasters : Challenges And Strategies1993 Words   |  8 Pages Volunteer Management in Response to Natural Disasters: Challenges and Strategies Cameron P. Beilly Florida Atlantic University â€Æ' On August 29, 2005, just after 9:00 am, Hurricane Katrina made landfall just east of New Orleans, Louisiana (Drye, 2010). Winds near the downtown area were upwards of 125 mph, causing intense wind gusts and 40-foot high tidal surges (Drye, 2010). At 11:00 am, a major levee in the city failed, causing walls of water to come pouring into New Orleans proper (Drye