This paper examines the historical development of disaster preparedness policy in the United States, tracing the federal government's shifting role from limited, reactive aid to a comprehensive, proactive system. Beginning with Depression-era economic recovery tools such as the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and the Flood Control Act of 1934, the paper follows key legislative and institutional milestones, including the creation of the Office of Emergency Preparedness in 1961, the National Flood Insurance Program in 1968, and ultimately the establishment of FEMA in 1978. The paper concludes by discussing FEMA's ongoing evolution, its National Disaster Recovery Framework, and the lessons learned from failures such as the Hurricane Katrina response.
Over the past century the world has confronted many disasters, both natural and manmade, and many government entities have had to cope with the aftermath. The United States, in particular, has had to revamp the manner in which it confronts disasters. Early in the nation's history, disasters were usually considered local problems that only involved the federal government if they were particularly large in scope or had national implications. Even in those instances, the federal government responded on an individual basis, offering aid in a piecemeal fashion when necessary. Eventually, the need for a permanent system to deal with disasters was recognized and the U.S. government responded accordingly. Today, we fully anticipate that the government will be there when most needed, but that has not always been the case.
It was not until the Depression of the 1930s that the federal government began to view disaster recovery as a potential economic tool to put people back to work. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation and the Bureau of Public Roads were both authorized to make loans for the repair and reconstruction of public facilities after disasters struck (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011, p. 2). During this time, the Tennessee Valley Authority was both conceived and implemented, providing not only hydroelectric power to millions who had no reliable electric source before, but also greatly reducing the potential for flooding in the affected region (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011, p. 2). Furthermore, the Flood Control Act of 1934 gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers the ability to design and carry out flood control projects, an authority they possess to this day (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011, p. 3).
Meanwhile, most of the response to natural disasters continued as before, with legislative action following particularly devastating events. Finally, in 1961 the Kennedy administration changed the way that future disaster events would be handled by creating the Office of Emergency Preparedness inside the White House (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011, p. 3). For the first time in the nation's history, an office of the federal government would be expressly responsible for reacting to and preparing for any large-scale disasters that might occur. Another significant development came in 1968 with the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act and the creation of the National Flood Insurance Program, which provided flood insurance to areas of the country located in floodplains (Haddow, Bullock, & Coppola, 2011, p. 4).
"FEMA established as central disaster agency"
"FEMA shifts system from reactive to proactive"
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