Chris Edwards
Chris Edwards
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have now passed, leaving trails of destruction. Some politicians are using the disasters as a political football, focusing particularly on the funding of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But the debate over FEMA is somewhat misplaced.
FEMA is the lead federal agency for natural disaster response, but the American system of disaster response is not a top-down structure imposed by Washington. Rather, two core principles in disaster response are federalism and mutual aid between states, cities, utilities, and other private entities. In other words, we have a decentralized and horizontal response system.
State, local, and private groups play the main role in disaster response. As the Congressional Research Service noted, “The United States takes a ‘bottom up’ approach to both managing and providing assistance during a disaster.” State and local governments employ 1.3 million people in police and fire departments, for example, and those first responders are spread across the nation.
State governors are crucial. They have wide-ranging responsibilities and powers during disasters, such as the power to order evacuations. The states have standing agreements for mutual aid. For example, search and rescue teams from across the nation come to the aid of disaster-struck areas. Teams from Virginia and Maryland arrived in Florida even before Helene made landfall. Colorado sent helicopters, K9s, and other first responder assets and personnel. Pennsylvania sent emergency management workers and a helicopter rescue team.
The National Guard under state command plays a crucial role during disasters, and more than 6,000 guardsmen have arrived to help in the Southeast. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, 50,000 guardsmen from virtually every state provided services such as medical care, law enforcement, and debris removal.
Most of the nation’s critical infrastructure—such as utility infrastructure—is owned by the private sector, not by governments. Electric utilities have standing agreements for mutual aid, » Read More
https://www.cato.org/blog/femas-role-hurricanes