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Bring Back the FEMA We Saw in '94

September 15, 2005
Opinion-Editorial

For many people in the San Fernando Valley, Hurricane Katrina brought back memories of the 6.8 earthquake that struck Northridge at 4:30 a.m. on January 17, 1994.

Like Katrina, the quake was one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history. Like the storm victims along the Gulf Coast, people in the Valley experienced an outpouring of support from all across America. Unlike Katrina, there was a quick, coordinated, effective response by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

When the earth shifted beneath the Valley, FEMA was on the job within 15 minutes. The Headquarters Emergency Support team was activated 90 minutes after the earthquake. An Earthquake Service Center with representatives from all disaster agencies was opened almost immediately. President Clinton visited us and met with local leaders on the third day after the earthquake. In short, we saw results.

The quick response was particularly impressive because there was no advance warning. Sure, the geologists told us that an earthquake was likely sometime within a 500-year period somewhere in California. But there is no earthquake season. You cannot watch an earthquake develop on the Weather Channel. So it was all the more impressive that when the ground shook under Northridge, FEMA and the Clinton administration jumped quickly from a standing start.

You would think that 11 years later -- and four years after the September 11 terrorist attacks -- our response to disasters would be even more rapid and effective. You would particularly expect an effective response to a hurricane since FEMA could gear up for hurricane season, and begin to act when they saw it was possible that Katrina could hit the Gulf Coast.

That is why, as a first step, I called for the resignation of FEMA Director Michael Brown. Despite warnings for days that the killer hurricane was gathering strength and threatened to swamp New Orleans, Brown failed to move sufficient rescue workers and supplies into position before the storm struck. He was inexcusably sluggish in the critical hours after Katrina slammed ashore.

In the longer term, we need to find out what went wrong in order to make sure it never happens again. I have joined colleagues in introducing legislation to create an independent commission to investigate what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening again. The legislation I support provides for an independent, bipartisan commission, modeled after the September 11 commission. Unfortunately, the Bush administration is angling for all inquiries to be dominated by Republican members of Congress.

When the Department of Homeland Security was created after September 11, I opposed folding FEMA into the new department. The FEMA that responded to the 1994 earthquake was an independent agency. James Lee Witt, then the director of FEMA, worked directly for the president. He could speak as a peer to the Secretary of Defense and Health and Human Services in organizing a disaster response. That is why, three years ago, I voted against making FEMA a subordinate part of the Department of Homeland Security. While the department is responsible for preventing a terrorist act, FEMA must respond to disasters of all types.

In the last few years, FEMA has become a stepchild of the administration and even a stepchild within the Department of Homeland Security. Hundreds of vacancies, particularly at important high level positions, have been left open so the salaries “saved” can be used to cover other Homeland Security costs. FEMA also has become a dumping ground for an excessive number of political hacks, people who have demonstrated their loyalty to President Bush during political campaigns, but have no background in emergency response management. That is why I have joined with several colleagues in introducing legislation to restore FEMA as an independent, cabinet-level agency.

We also should foster an environment that allows homeowners to purchase the comprehensive disaster insurance they need. Stories already are emerging of insurance companies unwilling or unable to cover losses in Louisiana and Mississippi. I have worked on legislation that would create a backstop for the insurance industry so it can cover catastrophic natural disasters. I hope we can enact this needed legislation so Americans living in areas subject to earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes and other natural disasters can buy disaster insurance.

We cannot afford to delay. A terrorist attack on New York City, a hurricane engulfing New Orleans in flood water, and a California earthquake were the three most serious threats of catastrophic disasters that FEMA identified back in 2001. Two out of the three threats have come to pass. We must be better prepared for the next disaster.