When President Obama was sworn in on Tuesday, more than 300 officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency were working behind the scenes throughout the Washington metropolitan region to monitor events and direct pre-positioned federal aid to the city in case of emergency. Compare that scenario with the second Bush inauguration four years ago, when fewer than 20 officials were on hand.
FEMA's heightened role is a testament to the agency's newfound competence and capability, says David Paulison, the career firefighter Bush tapped to take over the agency after its disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina in fall 2005.
Paulison and his deputy, Harvey Johnson, the retired three-star admiral who helped manage the Coast Guard's widely praised response to Katrina before joining FEMA, will officially step aside on Wednesday morning. Until the Obama administration names their successors, two career emergency managers -- Nancy Ward and Dave Garrett -- will be acting administrator and acting deputy administrator, respectively.
No comments:
Post a Comment