Summary Chapter 3: The Politics of Disaster A history of legislation and policy: Federal disaster relief and emergency management

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Summary Chapter 3 The Politics of DisasterA
history of legislation and policy Federal
disaster relief and emergency management

• Disciplines of Obvious Relationship
• Law, political science, public policy, U.S.
  history, nursing, labor studies

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The Bush Administrations reliance on bonded
social capital (the loyalty of and loyalty to his
people)--is consistent with its conservative
philosophical and ideological hostility to the
public sectorWhat is the difference between
the private sector and the public sector?
3
A brief history of federal emergency reliefThe
nations first disaster legislation was in 1803,
offering a New Hampshire town financial aid after
fire leveled the town.
4
But U.S lacked a coherent and unified strategy
for disaster emergency for 160 years.What are
the reasons for such a delay in developing a
unified federal/national strategy?
5
The Chicago Fire 1873 Johnstown Flood 1889
Galveston Hurricane 1900
6
San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 the
Great Mississippi flood of 1927, were largely
unmet by federal assistance
7
The response was local and humanitarian cities,
states, churches and charitable organizations
outside the disaster zones pitched in.
8
Clara Barton in 1881 founded the Red Cross as the
American branch of an international relief
organization providing relief to civilian and
combat victims of war.
9
In 1905, Congress incorporated the Red Cross as
the first federally related disaster relief agency
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Although the Red Cross is the primary relief
organization,it has historically received
limited federal funds.
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The Progressive Reform Movement opposed the
laissez-faire philosophy that government should
not meddle in the private market.
12
In the wake of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
fire, in which 146 women sweatshop workers died
when they were locked in the shop (1911), and the
sinking of the ocean liner Titanic in which over
1,000 people died (1912) (p.40)
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Progressivists held that the country must
promote stronger government oversight of hazards
and risks that private industry may take to make
a profit. (such as La Follette, Addams, Wald,
Pingree, Jone, Phelan, Steffans , Riis and even
President Theodore Roosevelt)
14
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal government led to
social legislation that broadened the government
role in stimulating the economy and guarding the
public trust
15
The Tennessee Valley authority was created in
part to reduce flooding in that region.
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The Flood Control Act (1934) granted greater
authority to U.S. Army Corps of Engineersto
design and craft flood-control projects.
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Accumulating federal disaster relief
legislation(p.41)

• Public Law 81-875, the Disaster Relief Act (1950)
• And thirty years of legislation after added
  provisions
• Midwest flood in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri
  (1951) prompted emergency housing laws
• 1962 bill granted repairs to state facilities
• 1966 congress made rural communities eligible for
  relief
• 1969 funds were allocated for disaster debris
  removal

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Federal disaster legislation was accompanied by a
growing emergency management bureaucracy
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First the Housing and Home Financing Agency
(HHFA) was in charge of federal disaster relief
(p.42)
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Next, the Federal Civil Defense Administration
(1953-58) was in charge

• lightly funded
• focused on the possibility of a nuclear disaster
  resulting from the Arms Race and Cold War
  with the former Soviet Union

21
FEMA was formed by President Carter 1979 in order
to consolidate fragmented federal emergency
efforts (p.43)
22
President George H.W. Bush (41) had sent the
military to help with structural damage caused by
Hurricane Iniki in Hawaii (1992)
23
But Hurricanes Hugo, Andrew and Iniki revealed
flaws in FEMAs system of response.
24
For the first time in the U.S., the government
leveraged national security assets (military and
others) during Hurricane Andrew.
25
FEMA emerged a disgrace nonetheless.
26
There were calls for its abolition.What
political forces wanted FEMA abolished?What were
their reasons?
27
Two Southern governors (Carter of Georgia and
Clinton of Arkansas) gave birth and life to FEMA.
(p.46)
28
President Clinton became a vital advocate of
federal emergency management.As governor of
Arkansas,he had experience with the devastating
impact of floods. (ch3 note 38)
29
He made the FEMA director a cabinet
position.President Bush removed FEMA from the
cabinet.
30
The 1992 World TRADE Center bombing forced FEMA
to contend with terrorist threats
31
Project Impact encouraged communities to develop
decision making plans for hazard mitigation and
risk avoidance (p.47)
32
This inspired the development of disaster relief
professionals and institutionalized emergency
management as a degree program in 65 colleges and
universities (p.47)
33
With a deliberate small-government ideology,
George W. Bush appointed Joseph Allbaugh, his
former chief of staff and 2000 presidential race
campaign manager to head FEMA.
34
In his confirmation hearings, no mention was made
of his lack of emergency management skills or
disaster relief experience.(p.47)
35
Allbaugh capture his bosss dislike of
government's active role in public spheres when
he argued Many are concerned that federal
disaster assistance may have evolved intoan
oversized entitlement program. (p.48) What
does the term entitlement program mean?
36
With the creation of Department of a Homeland
Security after the 9/11 attacks, the Republican
controlled congress downgraded FEMA from a
cabinet level agencyAllbaugh timed his
resignation for the day that occurred.(p.49)
37
He immediately set up a consulting firm to advise
companies doing business in Iraq.Allbaugh was
succeeded at FEMA by his former college pal and
FEMA deputy, Michael Brownie Brown.(p.49)Was
Michael Brown an emergency management
professional? What was his qualifying
professional experience?
38
Brown had no previous experience in disaster
relief and emergency managementHe serve a
decade as commissioner of the International
Arabian Horse Association
39
Joseph Allbaugh said, the President couldn't
have chosen a better man to helpprepare and lead
the nation.
40
By the time Brown got to FEMA, the agency had
been greatly diminished by an administration
obsessed with fighting terrorism.(p.50)What
sorts of specific planning, organization, and
equipment would first responders need if, God
forbid, we couldnt prevent terrorists from
successfully attacking again in a worse way?
Would we need less emergency management?
41
FEMA became a backwater agency packed with
political patronage appointments.
42
Of FEMAs top 8 officials, 5 joined the agency
with no experience in disaster management. FEMAs
top 3 officials (Brown, Patrick J. Rhode, and
Brooks D. Altshuler) were plucked from President
Bushs 2000 campaign.(p.51)Does it matter that
these folks did not have disaster experience?
Does it matter that they were political allies of
the president?
43
This scenario lowered the morale of skilled
professionals in the agency.Skilled veterans
like Eric Tolbert (hurricanes), Laurence W.
Zensinger (World Trade Center disaster manager),
and Bruce Baughman (also of WTC disaster) all
were casualties of politicization and patronage.
(p.51-52)
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Cronyism, politicization, inexperience, and
incompetence have undercut FEMAs
effectiveness.Have these things undercut FEMAs
effectiveness?Or has loyalty and political
affinity, regardless of experience, created
useful efficiencies of relationships at FEMA and
other agencies?
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FEMA has been hampered by Bush Administration
hostility to government helping the public
domainand its view of FEMA as an overwrought
public entitlement program.How is an emergency
response to disaster explained by some as an
entitlement or hand-out?What is the thinking
of those who believe a federal hand-out to be a
bad thing?
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End of Chapter 3 Summary