Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Local, state, and federal government may be called upon to provide relief in times of distress. The US Federal Government has formed agencies designed to anticipate potential dangers posed to the public, evaluate the resources needed to provide relief, allocate funds to those in need, and both coordinate and provide emergency services when necessary. Federalism successfully provides aid through multiple layers of government based on years of experience dealing with numerous natural disasters. Federalism is a strong system for establishing emergency response because of its coordination through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), past success, and reflection after a disaster.
Federalism occurs when groups form an alliance to
achieve a specific goal. Federalism, as it applies to the federal government, is a system where “States form a league, alliance, or union such that each state maintains separate sovereignty to some degree regarding purely local matters, but otherwise centralized government for national purposes, they establish a ‘federal government’. This is contrasted with a ‘confederation of states’, in which the central government which is formed by an alliance is substantially more restrained in its powers and purpose.” (“What is Federalism?”) This is the system the United States uses to coordinate its response in cases of disaster.
The government participates in different types of planning for disaster relief. Part of their planning involves making preparations to avoid potential disasters whether natural or man-made. For example, they may approve a construction project to redirect traffic to avoid a potential hazard or clear tree limbs that could be dangerous during a storm. They also must plan at the time of crisis to provide medical attention and temporary relief efforts. (Fugate) When a disaster is too great for a local or state government to handle, they request help from the federal government. For cases like this we have the “Federal Disaster Relief Act, authorizing the President to provide supplementary Federal assistance when a Governor requested help and the President approved the request by declaring a major disaster.” (“Overview of Federal Disaster Assistance”) One such disaster, was Hurricane Sandy that hit the East Coast in October 2012. President Obama directed FEMA to begin assisting local governments in a number of states the day before the storm hit land. (Ladislaw) Communication between FEMA and local businesses and first responders was an important part of the storm preparations. “…FEMA created the National Power Restoration Taskforce, which was to minimize red tape, increase coordination among government agencies at all levels and the private sector, and rapidly restore fuel and power”. (Ladislaw) By the time Sandy hit, it was classified as a category 1 hurricane. A category 1 hurricane is capable of severe damage and creates a major risk to the public. (Fugate)
The damage caused by Sandy was devastating.
However, FEMA’s response brought aid and comfort to many survivors. FEMA provided temporary housing and medical treatment through the Individuals and Households Programs (IHP). FEMA provided aid in clearing out debris and help rebuilding through the Public Assistance (PA) program. They provided aid to prevent loss from future disaster through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). It was critical to establish medical response teams as well as search and rescue teams. They provided water, meals, blankets, and temporary housing. (Fugate). They helped communities affected by damaged roads, bridges, sewerage, water, and energy systems. (Ladislaw) They helped sign up more than half a million people for federal aid due to the storm. This complex but organized system helped provide $50 billion in aid to survivors to rebuild after the storm. (Fugate) FEMA also provided mental health counseling to many survivors after the storm. No one job was small. While an entire coastline seemed devastated, the structure and success of this operation handled the situation with as much ease as possible. (“Overview of Federal Disaster
Assistance”)
A storm of this magnitude and level of devastation is too great for local or state governments to handle on their own.
Hurricane Sandy would have far exceeded the funds available for aid by the local and state governments. There would have been many survivors unable to rebuild or recover without much needed assistance. When a disaster is pending or hits and a state is unable to provide enough aid locally. In these cases, the Governor of a state can request help from the Federal Government. FEMA will assess the situation and determine if federal aid is needed. This involves consideration of the amount and type of damage, what resources are available at the local level, what insurance funds are available for survivors, and the risk of human life from the disaster. (“Overview of Federal Disaster Assistance”) Using a federal system to approach a situation like this makes sense because a federal government is a stronger system. It is able to operate in a multitude of situations because of the diversity of its functions and the high level of staffing that the program has. Federal assistance is beneficial to our entire country, and helps us remain united, especially when some parts of our country are
suffering.
FEMA has more experience managing disasters than local governments since they assist in numerous types of disasters around the country. They have therefore been exposed to different scenarios and are able to understand the way they can work best. Their experience and preparedness can be the difference between life and death for the public during a disaster. Experience working with the relief program from Hurricane Sandy helped them develop a micro grid that links public transportation to provide power during future storms. Sandy also identified the need to advance technologies like a smart grid, distributed energy, and energy storage during a weather related event. (Ladislaw) Each of these advances are in development due to the fact that the federal government was involved in helping the East Coast recover from Hurricane Sandy. These advances are learning tools, from each disaster our country has faced, we have learned to be stronger because of it.
In conclusion, our federalist system works better than any other in the case of disaster. Not only do we have a staff of people who care and want only the best for our people, but we have a supportive system that is always available when needed. A state government may know how things work the best in their state, but they are not large enough to know how to really support themselves. This is why we have a system like FEMA, to help when help is needed. The cohesiveness and unity of this system directly reflects how well our federalist system works.