Overview

It is inevitable that at some point a natural disaster or terrorist attack will strike the country. It is FEMA's job to prepare the country for that time, to help state and local governments respond efficiently and effectively, and to aid in recovery after the event. The agency has a slew of directorates that assume these different tasks from national preparedness to mitigation. It only provides assistance after disasters but runs projects, like the National Flood Insurance Program, that seek to minimize the amount of damage that occurs in high-risk areas. FEMA funds disaster- assistance grants which go to affected communities, but also operates all DHS grant programs, including the two biggest sources of homeland-security funding for states, the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative. In addition, it has ten regional offices that focus on threats particular to their jurisdiction.

Before the creation of DHS, FEMA was an independent agency that was not always seen as effective. That changed during the Clinton administration when James Lee Witt, an experienced emergency-management professional, helmed the agency. In 2005, George W. Bush Administrator Michael Brown resigned during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when he faced fierce criticism for the agency's response to the massive disaster. Since the agency joined DHS, some members of Congress have argued that the head of FEMA needs to report directly to the president and have advocated for the agency to be split back out of DHS.

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