Where to Turn in Case of an Emergency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is a federal agency connected to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the goal of helping America prevent, prepare, and recover from all forms of disasters, whether they are natural or man-made. The agency was founded 37 years ago, in 1979, when it was finally decided that federal action needed to take place in order to respond to and aid the United States during times of disaster. It was signed by Jimmy Carter on April 1 and has been in effect since then, with the main mission of, “to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters with a vision of ‘A Nation Prepared.’”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created in 1979 from a series of disasters, which occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. FEMA is a federal agency that coordinates the response to a disaster in the United States. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall affecting many citizens in New Orleans, activating the response from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The common obstacles that the federal system of government encounters with are communications and funding.

Undoubtedly, the American Red Cross has done many wonders over the course of its existence. Whether it is providing relief from disasters, aiding the less fortunate nationally and internationally or saving lives with their blood program, the Red Cross has always been there to help the world become a safer place to live in. Most recently, this organization has had a strong impact in the recovery of “Superstorm” Sandy and Hurricane Isaac, providing food and water, multiple shelters for people that have lost their homes and even counseling during such a devastating time (“Top 20 Accomplishments”).

The American Red Cross is a non for profit, congressionally chartered organization. Its primary focus is to give help anywhere that is needed both here and abroad. The American Red Cross uses its resources, time, and money to help five major areas, which are aiding people affected by disasters in American, supporting members in the military and their families, collecting blood for process and distribution, health and safety education and training, and international relief and development (American Red Cross). The Mission Statement of the American Red Cross is “The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors” (American Red Cross).

Planning also takes into consideration the level of state and local demand for outside help. “The most devastating disasters may require the full range of Federal response and recovery assistance. Less damaging disasters may require only partial Federal response and recovery assistance, and some disasters may require only Federal recovery assistance” (p.10).

The national agencies involved in pre and post-disaster management and planning are The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in connection with The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and The Ready Campaign. FEMA was first implemented during President Jimmy Carter's term in 1979. Their mission is dedicated to nationally support and protect citizens throughout the country during natural or manmade disasters (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2017). FEMA works closely together with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security along with local and state governments to provide extensive disaster relief efforts and necessary assistance during any crisis (Department Homeland Security, 2016). FEMA offers both pre and post-disaster

When a disaster strikes and it is so sever that the local governments and the State governments together cannot provide the needed resources, the federal government then becomes the source for resources. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the Federal agency that coordinates the activation of the Federal Response Plan (FRP). However, due to past hurricanes and incidents, the response of FEMA has demonstrated that the government is not prepared to defend the US population as a whole. As demonstrated on Wednesday October 19, 2005, Hurricane Wilma intensified into a Category 5 hurricane within a 24 hours time frame. Hurricane Wilma produced sustained winds of over 173 miles per hour and with the atmospheric pressure of 882 millibars,

In the past, the Red Cross Association has dealt with controversy from its corrupt leadership to its reputation surrounding possible fraud. O.C. Ferrell, John Fraedrich and Linda Ferrell (2015) defines the American Red Cross (ARC) as an independent organization who’s mission is to “provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). In recent news, Hurricane Matthew made its way to the United States in October 2016. The category 4 storm was expected to damage the Southeast coast of the United States including Florida and South Carolina (Bacon, 2016). While many residents took precautions and acknowledged the state of emergencies that were put into place,

Since 2010, the American Red Cross (ARC) annual expenditures on domestic relief services have been between $250 million and $400 million with majority of the donations coming from private donors. Additionally as of 2015, approximately 90% of the Red Cross workforce during disasters were comprised of volunteers. 2014 the Red Cross saw an enormous influx of expenditures as a result of Hurricane Sandy. This national disasters tested the overall efficiency of the Red Cross Operations since the Hurricane Katrina debacle. One of the significant issues raised by the society was the lagged response time of the ARC. One the reasons for this delay was due to the uncertain of the responsibilities between the ARC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency

When a major storm or natural disaster has the potential to hit any part of the United States there are certain responsibilities assumed for both the government and people. Preparedness behaviors take place so that the country is as ready as it can be. “Preparedness behavior includes a variety of actions taken by families, households, and communities to get ready for a disaster. Preparedness activities may include devising disaster plans, gathering emergency supplies, training response teams, and educating residents about a potential disaster (Mileti,1999)” (Quoted in Fothergill, 1). The government agency involved in responding to most natural disasters in the United States is The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to

With that said, the American Red Cross responded to 70,000 disasters in 2013 (“Last Year’s Disasters: The American Red Cross Response”). While not being a very big number, it still shows that the Red Cross uses its donation money to support victims. On that very subject, to further support Superstorm Sandy victims, the American Red Cross gave back some of that money, and by some, they mean 74 million dollars according to the “Last Year’s Disasters: The American Red Cross Response” YouTube video. Which is more than giving back, it is simply a part of their appeal to those in need. In an interview with John Bavendam, a victim of a tree falling on his house, he said in reply to the query of “Based on the American Red Cross providing medical aid, shelter, and food, would they have been able to help you?” He replied with “Yes they would have provided ‘better’ shelter than a run-down home especially when it feels like you’re dying.” This provides an idea as to what the Red Cross would be able to do for this young man. In 2013, the American Red Cross provided over 24,000 overnight stays, and even more so in 2015 with over 34,000 overnight stays according to statistics from 2015. Furthermore the American Red Cross helped over 19,000 households recover from natural disasters. Which would have been helpful for John, given this question and answer: “What disaster occurred in your life that the Red Cross would have responded to?” “During a windstorm, a tree fell on my home, collapsing the roof and causing insulation to flood into my room.” The American Red Cross is all about making sure people recover, as stated on their own website, they claim that they aspire to turn compassion into strength and with that strength they can help people recover from natural disasters across the United States, so that they can receive care, shelter, and

Once the President declares a disaster a federal disaster, the declaration of an emergency triggers financial and physical assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is responsible for the coordination of the federal government’s response to natural and manmade disasters. Under the Housing Program, FEMA will provide temporary housing to survivors whose primary residents were destroyed during the hurricane.

There exist numerous types of situations that could cause an emergency response, nonetheless, who is supposed to provide emergency response to large scale emergencies? The answer is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); specifically the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Department of Homeland Security was created in lieu of one single event that happened on September 11th, 2001. There stand several entities under the DHS program, additionally; the Federal Emergency Management Agency heads the emergency response efforts under DHS.

On the same note, the group provided relief when the 35-W bridge collapsed in Minnesota. It helped, this past year, to rebuild houses that fell victim to California wildfires too. Post disaster aid comes in many forms. Food relief, site clean up, site repair, blood donations, blood transfusions and other types of medical aid are some of the forms of relief. Although, disaster reliefs and blood donations are crucial in our society today; this is not the only type of service the Red Cross provides for us.

There are numerous types of situations that could cause an emergency response, but who is supposed to provide emergency response to largescale emergencies? The answer is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); specifically the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Department of Homeland Security was created because of one single event that happened on September 11th, 2001. There are several entities under the DHS program, additionally; the Federal Emergency Management Agency heads the emergency response efforts under DHS.