The Disaster After the Disaster: The Evolution and De-Evolution of FEMA

Abstract

Since the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) inception during the Carter Administration in 1979, it has undergone a tumultuous history marked by a series of praised successess and grave failures. In its early stages, it was highly criticized for sluggish responses to crises as well as pervasive mismanagement. James Lee Witt revolutionized the agency, creating one of the most respected and efficient organizations in government. Although many people thought the progress he made would be long-lasting, the agency fell back into public criticism with a series of poor operations after Witt's departure, beginning with the 9/11 attack and peaking with its mismanagement of the Hurricane Katrina response. This paper examines how Witt transformed FEMA into a functional organization, as well as why it fell apart during the Bush Administration. It focuses on the key differences between how James Lee Witt and his successors handled the stages of emergency management strategy