Thursday
Mar132008
FEMA Wants to Be on The Right Track
The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security Appropriations held a hearing to review whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on the right track. However, even that may not be enough as ranking member Hal Rogers (R-KY 9) noted by quoting Will Rogers as saying "even if you're on the right track, you will still get run over if you just sit there."
Despite recent successes in responding to the wildfires in California, tornadoes in Tennessee, and 60 other major disasters in the last year, doubts remain about FEMA's effectiveness since Hurricane Katrina. According to the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA now contributes to 6 material weaknesses in DHS in 2007, up from 2 key weaknesses in 2006.
The FY2008 Budget increased FEMA's budget by 175 million dollars, a 24% increase. With that funding, FEMA continues to try to enact its three-phase transition to the "new FEMA" in keeping with the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act. FEMA is currently overdue to submit various reports to congress regarding improving its workforce. The Subcommittee urged FEMA to expedite the reports and exercise recently granted congressional authority to provide housing and work more closely with HUD.
Larry Gispert, President of the International Association of Emergency Managers, said that "FEMA wants to be on the right track" though it might not quite be there yet. He mentioned that emergency planning tends to give to much weight to potential terror threats, at the expense of preparation for the full range of emergencies, disasters, and other threats.
David Paulison, FEMA administrator, made mention of the issue of high levels of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers, explaining that the units were purchased from manufacturers and are exactly like those purchased by consumers. The Agency has been working with the manufacturers to improve the conditions. The majority of trailers showed low levels of formaldehyde.
FEMA can currently respond to a disaster in 72 hours, utilizing 8 storage facilities nationwide stocked with Meals Ready to Eat, water, and other relief supplies. The primary relief responsibility rests with the local levels of government, with State and Federal (FEMA) agents becoming involved when local efforts are overwhelmed.
Despite recent successes in responding to the wildfires in California, tornadoes in Tennessee, and 60 other major disasters in the last year, doubts remain about FEMA's effectiveness since Hurricane Katrina. According to the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA now contributes to 6 material weaknesses in DHS in 2007, up from 2 key weaknesses in 2006.
The FY2008 Budget increased FEMA's budget by 175 million dollars, a 24% increase. With that funding, FEMA continues to try to enact its three-phase transition to the "new FEMA" in keeping with the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act. FEMA is currently overdue to submit various reports to congress regarding improving its workforce. The Subcommittee urged FEMA to expedite the reports and exercise recently granted congressional authority to provide housing and work more closely with HUD.
Larry Gispert, President of the International Association of Emergency Managers, said that "FEMA wants to be on the right track" though it might not quite be there yet. He mentioned that emergency planning tends to give to much weight to potential terror threats, at the expense of preparation for the full range of emergencies, disasters, and other threats.
David Paulison, FEMA administrator, made mention of the issue of high levels of formaldehyde in FEMA trailers, explaining that the units were purchased from manufacturers and are exactly like those purchased by consumers. The Agency has been working with the manufacturers to improve the conditions. The majority of trailers showed low levels of formaldehyde.
FEMA can currently respond to a disaster in 72 hours, utilizing 8 storage facilities nationwide stocked with Meals Ready to Eat, water, and other relief supplies. The primary relief responsibility rests with the local levels of government, with State and Federal (FEMA) agents becoming involved when local efforts are overwhelmed.
tagged 
FEMA, disaster, emergency, formaldehyde, katrina, preparedness in News/Commentary
FEMA, disaster, emergency, formaldehyde, katrina, preparedness in News/Commentary
Reader Comments (2)
What does Paulison mean by "the majority of trailers showed low levels of formaldehyde"?
The levels in these trailers were in many cases above the limits set by OSHA for workplace exposure. Low formaldehyde levels? People can’t even go into many of these trailers for more than five minutes before experiencing burning eyes, a sore throat, headaches, and breathing difficulties.
Would Administrator Paulison like to live in one of these “low formaldehyde” trailers, and see his children suffer regular nosebleeds because the formaldehyde is such a strong irritant? That has been the experience of families across the Gulf Coast who are spending half their salary on medicine and doctor bills because of the frequent illnesses suffered by them and their children.
It the levels of formaldehyde really were low, why is FEMA moving everyone out of the trailers as fast as they can?
The “new FEMA” is still wasting millions of dollars of the taxpayers money withhout even having ANY safe emergency housing to offer victims of natural disasters.
FEMA risk management?
FEMA makes victims out of disaster survivors.
Since FEMA's poisoning the disaster survivors policy did not keep the complaints down, they are not forced to collect and destroy the evidence. FEMA accountability is a joke.