fema reorganization and the response to hurricane disaster.pdf

FEMA Reorganization FEMA Reorganization and the Response to Hurricane Disaster Relief Tonya Adamski, Beth Kline, and Tanya Tyrrell Abstract The authors offer an empirical research study intended to investigate the 2003 restructuring of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Our study explores the relationship between this restructuring and the efficiency of FEMA’s response to hurricane disaster relief. We hypothesized that hurricane response prior to the 2003 reorganization was managed more efficiently than hurricane response following this reorganization. To investigate this hypothesis, data was collected on 22 hurricanes affecting the U.S. mainland and Hawaii from 1988 to 2005. In order to measure the efficiency of hurricane response, the following variables were examined: deaths associated with each hurricane, damage in U.S. dollars, the time it took to dispatch FEMA personnel, and the time it took to dispatch supplies to the affected sites. Since FEMA directors and U.S. presidents can also potentially impact hurricane management, they were included as independent variables. We also conducted a public opinion survey to offer a better understanding of the public’s reaction to FEMA’s performance in hurricane relief management, its transition into the DHS, states’ reliance on federal assistance, and the impact political affiliation has on these variables. Our findings show that since the 2003 reorganization, FEMA has displayed a significant increase in the time taken to dispatch supplies to hurricane-affected areas. Correlations also were found between the time taken to dispatch supplies and the acting FEMA director and US President. Survey results showed a significant parallelism between the overall approval of FEMA and the approval of their management of Hurricane Katrina. Further associations were found