Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA for short, unofficially started in 1803. After a series of devastating fires in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the 7th U.S. Congress passes a number of measures in the Congressional Act of 1803 that gave relief to Portsmouth merchants. They did this by waiving duties and tariffs on the imported goods. As an independent agency, FEMA was established under the 1978 Reorganization Plan No. 3, and activated April 1, 1979 by president Jimmy Carter. Prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, FEMA was ordered under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003 and employs its first few thousand employees. As a result, FEMA became part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of the DHS. George Bush hired Michael Brown as FEMA’s director in January of 2003. In 2005 a horrible natural disaster occurred. Hurricane Katrina is written down as one of the worst natural disasters the U.S. has experienced. FEMA drew harsh criticism due to the irresponsible response. FEMA took responsibility in evacuating thousands of people from the gulf coast and for those who decided to stay and weather the storm. The large numbers of evacuees overwhelmed rescue personnel and the National Guard was called in to provide support. The flooding of streets and other transportation methods was the root of the chaos in the cities. Due to a poor and slow response, FEMA director Michael Brown was released from his position. A special committee for the U.S. House of Representatives released a statement criticizing FEMA. Many citizens of New Orleans were left by themselves with no help due to a restraining order that ended all temporary housing costs for Katrina victims. Ice that was issued for Katrina victims was never used and melted down at a cost of 12.5 million dollars. The Katrina incident is the most recent and pressing issue, and I have decided to disagree with how FEMA acted during the...