3/4/09: Disaster Accountability Project Response To FEMA Administrator Nomination
March 4, 2009
Contact: Ben Smilowitz, 314-761-7631
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Disaster Accountability Project Open Letter To FEMA Administrator Nominee W. Craig Fugate
“Tell The Public How You Will Fix FEMA Before Your Confirmation”
Disaster Accountability Project: Make FEMA Administrator Position Cabinet Level
(March 4, 2009) – The Disaster Accountability Project is asking FEMA Administrator Nominee W. Craig Fugate to tell the public how he will fix FEMA– before he is confirmed as Administrator.
Nomination and Confirmation Hearing Questions
“Mr. Fugate has an incredible opportunity to fix an agency that has seen better days. The President says problems of the past will not be repeated, but the American people need to know how problems will be fixed,” said Ben Smilowitz, Executive Director, Disaster Accountability Project. “The Senate should use Mr. Fugate’s confirmation hearing as an opportunity to learn if, and exactly how, FEMA is turning a new page.”
FEMA Should Have Cabinet Level Status
Whether or not FEMA remains under the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA must be granted Cabinet Level Status.
“Nearly all Federal Agencies have key roles under the National Response Framework and related Annexes, yet FEMA, the lead agency that engages all Federal Agencies before, during, and after disasters, is missing from cross-agency Cabinet meetings. This structural barrier does not appear to facilitate efficiency,” said Smilowitz.
Open Letter to W. Craig Fugate
The letter asks Mr. Fugate about his commitment to FEMA transparency and accountability, how he will address and respond to thousands of post-Katrina recommendations to improve FEMA and disaster management, how he will address mass care deficiencies, and whether he will prioritize filling FEMA staff vacancies and comprehensive post-disaster housing planning.
–SEE LETTER BELOW–
Disaster Accountability Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization providing accountability and oversight to the nation’s disaster prevention, response, relief, and recovery systems through monitoring and policy research. The Disaster Accountability Project’s website is https://disasteraccountability.org.
A toll-free hotline (866-9-TIP-DAP) is available as a public service for disaster survivors, workers and volunteers to report critical gaps in disaster prevention, response, relief, and recovery services or planning. The group is recruiting a national network of Disaster Accountability Monitors and Bloggers to help report, verify, and publicize gaps in disaster services or planning.
Disaster Accountability Project is a 2008 Echoing Green Fellowship Organization.
For more information: http://www.echoinggreen.org/fellows/ben-smilowitz
–OPEN LETTER TO FEMA ADMINISTRATOR NOMINEE–
To: Mr. W. Craig Fugate
CC: Secretary Janet Napolitano
March 4, 2009
Dear FEMA Administrator Nominee Fugate:
Congratulations on your nomination to the position of FEMA Administrator!
2008 was not a good year for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Gulf Coast residents are still struggling to recover from the devastation wrought by hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and more recently, Gustav and Ike. Last year’s storms made clear that whatever advancements have been made since Katrina, FEMA is still in need of significant repair.
The Disaster Accountability Project views the new Administration and selection of a new FEMA Administrator as an extraordinary opportunity to re-energize and revive a damaged and under-performing agency created to play a critical role in the lives of millions of Americans during their greatest times of need.
Therefore, before your confirmation vote is held, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you a few questions about your plans for an improved and more responsive FEMA under the Obama Administration given the importance of this nomination to all taxpayers–especially the millions of Americans living in hurricane alley, along fault lines, in flood zones and tornado-hit areas, and other natural and man-made disaster vulnerable areas.
1) How will the Obama Administration’s clearly defined values of public accountability and transparency manifest in FEMA under your watch? In particular, how will you value transparency in FEMA’s communications, logistics systems, pre- and post-disaster contracting, preparedness levels, gap analyses, mass care coordination between American Red Cross and FEMA, FEMA assistance and preparedness programs, and requests from media and citizens under the Freedom of Information Act?
2) The Bush White House, Congress, and literally hundreds of organizations (ranging from mental health to housing to disability rights groups) published reports after Katrina that contain thousands of policy recommendations to improve the U.S. disaster management systems so the problems that manifested before, during, and after Katrina never happen again. Under your watch, how will FEMA address these Post-Katrina recommendations and how will FEMA value the engagement of citizens in its national planning and preparedness efforts?
3) Given the recent GAO report of severe inadequacies in mass care services (by the American Red Cross and others) in the event of a major disaster, how will you improve mass care preparedness and relief services and increase support for and coordination between FEMA and voluntary organizations (large and small) providing mass care services after disasters to ensure human needs after disasters are addressed?
4) What steps will you take to insure that agency staffing levels are on equal footing with other government agencies? How will you prioritize fully-staffing FEMA with highly qualified personnel with diverse backgrounds, capable of working in very specialized ways?
5) Since Katrina, Congress has asked repeatedly for a comprehensive post-disaster housing plan. FEMA has been outrageously delinquent in developing a plan and released an 11th-hour plan just as the previous FEMA Administration departed. Will FEMA improve its response time to Congressional requests under your watch and how will you prioritize planning for short- and long-term post-disaster housing?
While the answers to the questions above are very important, I hope the issues discussed help facilitate a conversation about aspects of FEMA that deserve urgent attention. I deeply appreciate your commitment to the field of emergency management and I look forward to working with you in the years ahead.
Sincerely,
Ben Smilowitz
Founder and Executive Director
Disaster Accountability Project
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31 North Quaker Lane
West Hartford, CT 06119
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mobile: 314-761-7631
Ben@DisasterAccountability.org
https://disasteraccountability.org
The Disaster Accountability Project is non-partisan, nonprofit organization working to improve the nation’s disaster management systems through public accountability, citizen oversight and empowerment, whistle-blower engagement, and policy research.
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