FEMA as an Independent Agency. Social Sciences Essay

FEMA as an Independent Agency
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FEMA as an Independent Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was initially autonomous before an Act of Parliament folded into the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Its main role was to assist states, localities, and individuals at risk or ravaged by significant catastrophes that include terrorist attacks. However, its purpose was overshadowed by the DHS, whose primary focus was on preventing terrorism, hence FEMA was no longer able to perform its functions effectively. Therefore, FEMA should return to its autonomous state as an independent agency to enable it to act accordingly during catastrophes.
The DHS role mainly involves combating terrorism in the United States as a function of national security policy. However, the pairing of FEMA with DHS formed a problem since it prevented it from performing disaster management activities due to the larger organization's bureaucracy. While most of the other agencies combined to form part of the DHS are involved with intelligence gathering to counter any forms of terrorism, FEMA does not directly address terrorism (Roberts, 2006). Consequently, its mission to focus on preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation became compromised, affecting the agency's effectiveness. As in the case of Hurricane Katrina, where FEMA was unable to effectively coordinate its responses to the disaster.
Furthermore, the removal of the grant-making ability by FEMA also deleted its capabilities since funds were now consolidated under DHS. This prevented local governments from getting such grants when required. More so, the money was not focused on emergency preparedness with funds directed towards terrorism linked training. For instance, a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned that first responders were increasingly being trained to combat terrorism-associated threats and not natural disasters (Roberts, 2006). Its new position under the DHS thus created a problem in the allocation of funds appropriately when instances of catastrophes occurred. FEMA initially concentrated on mitigation to ensure that it was able to reduce costs related to disasters in case they occurred. However, its placement in the DHS also runs the risk of getting reduced funding for its mitigation efforts due to the changing environment. Returning the agency to hold a cabinet-level position would return its independence since it would provide a direct access to the President when required.
FEMA has faced considerable challenges in its ability to coordinate disaster recovery processes. Firstly, an increasing possibility for fraud means that funds are at risk of being lost in a dubious request that may not be eligible for refunds. For instance, its oversite over debris removal was poor, leading to ...