disaster

"The FEMA Review" By Jim Mullen The FEMA Reform Council’s final recommendations have now been put off until at least March of this year. One might ask “Reform what -as in what’s left!” Experienced FEMA staff levels are already reduced; assistance grants are slow-walked or suspended, with only the courts to enforce current contractual obligations. As the devastating winter storms sweep across states whose leadership is often sympathetic with this Administration’s initiatives, might there be a sudden recognition that FEMA, warts and all, was better equipped to support state and local resources before this all started? When a disaster strikes [...]

"What Constitutes Disaster Recovery?" By Jim Mullen Disaster recovery is often messy, complicated. Frequently post disaster news stories circulate about the absence of a satisfactory post-disaster recovery – many lives remain disrupted; economic stability for many survivors is elusive, sometimes for years. The news cycle, and government attention, wanes far too soon, while people still are hurting. And it is not uncommon for resentment to persist because the recovery mission appears to have been shortchanged. While a local emergency manager in Seattle I asked a federal official – “when is post-disaster recovery achieved,” and “who decides?” His answer: “when there is no [...]

"NEEDED: A Plan to Combat Misinformation" By Jim Mullen Emergency managers have enough to do during a disaster without having to cope with fraudulent claims, sometimes from supposedly “responsible” sources. But floods, tornados, earthquakes and wildfires are not fair, either - yet deal with them (and the information demands) we must. Thinking ahead to our next disaster – whatever form it takes – is essential for emergency managers. We cannot begin to know which type of event will capture breaking news headlines, impede commerce and otherwise disrupt or even threaten our lives. In past posts, I discussed the increased concern of [...]

"Another Katrina, or Worse?" By Jim Mullen The recent statement by over 190 FEMA employees that another “Katrina moment” might be pending triggered some unhappy memories for this old-timer. By 2005, I had already spent several years decrying reductions in FEMA’s capability, first as a city EM director, then as Washington State’s Director of Emergency Management. Post 9/11 hysteria had prompted abject neglect of the nation’s all - hazards approach, with funds diverted from FEMA by Congress and the Administration somewhat haphazardly and often incompetently to “counterterrorism efforts.” During the Katrina episode, at Washington State’s Emergency Management Division, we spent an inordinate [...]

"A FEW THOUGHTS" (  I'm BA-AA-CK!) By Jim Mullen One lesson, above all others, should be learned, and applied, by elected officials in nearly every jurisdiction in the nation in the wake of the devastating flash flood in Kerr County, Texas and surrounding counties. Midst the offering of heartfelt condolences, local elected officials in the nation are quietly relieved that such a crippling disaster happened elsewhere, this time. It’s only natural. But every elected official certainly should be aware that a disaster is lurking that could bring their community to its knees, inflicting long-term damage to the population. When I became [...]

"AFTER THE DISASTER -- HAZARD AWARENESS"   By Nancy Aird and Jim Mullen As the deadly results from the Texas Hill Country Catastrophic Floods grow, questions of fault will multiply on who had responsibility to warn local inhabitants of the danger. As is the case in most emergencies, emergency management will be pinpointed as a target. It is always easier to criticize after the incident, but all stakeholders play a part in prevention, response and recovery resilience. The public’s perception on the scope of responsibility and response of Local, State and Federal emergency management changed after the Hurricane Katrina response with FEMA [...]

"JIM'S "FINAL WARNING""   By Jim Mullen Comedian Alan King punctuated his career with a televised comedy special called “ A Final Warning!” In that spirit, since this could well be my final blog entry, I offer the following admonitions to Emergency Management Directors/Supervisors: 1) Emergency management is a profession, not by dint of its credentialing efforts (worthy though those are) but because of your selfless commitment to your fellow human beings: their worst day is often your finest hour. 2) The hardest part of managing day-to-day operations of an emergency management office is knowing no matter how well trained you and [...]

"A Full Circle"   By Jim Mullen A Full Circle NOTE: An excerpt from my September 25, 2004, speech to the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) as a new state director: a different yet eerily similar time, it seems applicable once again as FEMA endures an overhaul of its mission with little regard for the consequences to public safety.  “Two movies I have seen recently suggest a couple of directions federal emergency management might be headed - I hope I am wrong. In OFFICE SPACE, a character named Milton’s work station keeps getting moved to obscure sections of the office, [...]

"A Note to Readers of Emergency Management Once Removed:"   By Jim Mullen The Center of Excellence for Homeland Security and Emergency Management , host of “Emergency Management Once Removed” for nearly a decade, faces an uncertain future. I must thank the Center’s Linda Crerar, Kelli Hale, Jasmine May and Nancy Aird for their patience with me over these 10  years. I ‘d also be remiss if I did not acknowledge the men and women of Seattle OEM and WA EMD whose talent and dedication made me better than I otherwise would have been. And I am indebted to Trina [...]