Reader Question 11. FEMA Appears to have Solved its Problems. Is Reform Necessary?
Question: “Three weeks after Katrina it appears that FEMA has solved its problems… are you still recommending changes in the bureaucracy?”
Answer: Bureaucracies have an uncanny ability to respond to public criticism or rather to directives from the top of the organization which came under fire for gross mismanagement. The real scary thing is that everyone who watched the bureaucratic disaster unfold on TV knew more about what was going on than the head of FEMA and the President. Several days after the disaster the former FEMA head Michael Brown didn’t know that hundreds of New Orleans residents had been sent to the convention center where there was no food or water. And the President didn’t see the TV reports until he was given DVD’s several days after the disaster had begun.
What has been done that’s right. A FEMA czar Vice Admiral Thad Allen was placed in charge of all FEMA Katrina relief activities. What makes this work is that he is a member of a stakeholder team composed of Ray Nagin the mayor of New Orleans and Kathleen Blanco the Governor of Louisiana and the team is on location at the disaster site not in Washington DC. This is similar to the Work Improvement Teams that I have recommended. The second thing that is good is that FEMA has been proactive in bringing aid to the victims of the next hurricane Ophelia. Remember that the New FEMA head David Paulison who lost credibility by recommending everyone should buy duct tape and plastic sheeting, also stated that “hurricane victims were on their own for the first 48 hours“. Now it apears that the response has been reduced to 4 hours. All this is good news and due directly to the TV coverage. This may change the FEMA response permanently knowing that their activities are being watched on TV.
So much for FEMA’s first response but what about FEMA’s second role that of following up on disaster victim’s need for monetary aid. TV will document some people who don’t get timely aid but most will fall under the radar and the pubic misery caused by the Bureaucratic FEMA will continue. Consider this State Farm Insurance has announced on TV that they have 2500 claims agents available for hurricane disaster relief and they are only one of many insurance companies but FEMA has only 300 agents. Guess what? A lot of folks will never see any FEMA relief.
What should be done. FEMA needs to be reorganized into a lean organization with teams of personnel trained to fulfill several functions. They should be empowered with the capability of making on the spot consensus decisions in a timely basis as they respond to victim’s needs. Field Teams distributing aid relief should be supplemented by all available personnel who are not needed from the rescue efforts of the first few days after a hurricane. This mobilization should occur smoothly with minimum disruption through preplanning similar to that of first responders. An effectiveness reporting system needs to be developed so disaster relief progress can be monitored by FEMA executives. TV reporters need to hold FEMA executives feet to the fire.
For more information see: Article 36. “Thousand Die due To Bureaucratic Bungling.”
Article 37. “Restructuring Government for Quick Response.”
