The Federal Emergency Management Agency - 1490 Words

The Rise and Fall of Legitimacy: A Review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from 1979 to 2005 Introduction Legitimacy is the lifeblood of an organization. With conflict and competition a clear winner is considered legitimate. Cooperation, however, offers the potential for legitimacy for multiple parties. A legitimate organization has authority based on being representative, accountable, responsible, effectiveness, efficiency, minimal interference from political pressure, and established rules. Rules provide a rational foundation for procedures and operations. Administrative decisions grounded in established rules are the basis of a legal-rational authority and ensure that decisions are not biased or influenced. Weber (1922) and Stillman (1998) identify the application of established, impersonal rules and procedures as an important characteristic of an organization and crucial to a legitimate authority. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has seen a rise and fall regarding its view of legitimacy between the years of 1979 and 2005. FEMA carried a reputation for a lack of legitima cy for nearly two decades. Strong leadership and a new approach led to an increased respect and view of legitimacy by the public. However, this was short-lived. This paper will discuss the significant contributing factor leading to FEMA’s return to a lack of legitimacy in the response to Hurricane Katrina. The Early Years In 1979 The Federal Emergency Management AgencyShow MoreRelatedThe Federal Emergency Management Agency1123 Words   |  5 PagesThe Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) describes the National Planning Frameworks, which contains preparedness missions for the whole community (individuals, families, businesses, all types of community organizations, non-profit groups, media outlets, academies, and all levels of government including state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal partners, (FEMA 2015), as a way to foster a shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities from the first responders to the Federal governmentRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency Essay1704 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a body under the United States Department of Homeland Security that was created in 1978 to improve the safety of the American residents, especially during disasters. FEMA has a primary mandate of coordinating the response to any disaster that may occur in the U.S. and that overwhelms both local and state authorities’ resources. FEMA comes in to aid only after the governor of the involved state has declared a state of emergency and has madeRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency1403 Words   |  6 Pagesword as â€Å"a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change†. (Dictionary, n.d.). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has created a chart in which there are several criteria for determining when a situation is qualified as a disaster, only then, may federal aid be available to the communities. According to authors Timothy Sellnow and Matthew Seeger, the criteria allow â€Å"the FEMA to assess the relative magnitude ofRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency1771 Words   |  8 PagesThe Federal Emergency Management Agency is here to help a city rebuild and recover after natural or manmade disasters. When FEMA isn’t enough to help recover from the damage, the city is lost. For a city or country ability to rebuild after a natural disaster depends on the city s strength and the government’s response to the disaster. If a city cannot recover after a natural disaster it is all on the government. A city need a strong stable government in order to thrive. Once disaster hit it’sRead MoreFederal Emergency Management Agency3124 Words   |  12 Pagesyears, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, commonly known as FEMA, has been dedicated to preparing, protecting, responding and serving the American people following major disasters and crisis. Effective on April 1, 1979 under President Jimmy Carter’s administration and funded through federal funding, FEMA has been committed to preparing, protecting, responding and assisting in recovery efforts in the state as well as the local government during crisis and disasters. Similarly to any agency, FEMARead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency2125 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction On April 1, 1979 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emerged in the United States. The purpose of this agency was to coordinate the response to all types of crises in America to help alleviate local and state government crisis management. In the case of a major crisis in a state, the governor must declare a state of emergency, and request to the president that the state is in need of assistance from FEMA. In addition to assisting states in crisis management, FEMA also provides trainingRead MoreThe Creation Of Fema And The Federal Emergency Management Agency ( Fema )1555 Words   |  7 Pagesthe situations first hand so that the American people were catered to at a quicker response and in a manner that was assessed for safety situations. â€Å"On April 1, 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed the executive order that created the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). From day one, FEMA has remained committed to protecting and serving the American people. That commitmen t to the people we serve and the belief in our survivor centric mission will never change.† This is stated on fema.gov; thisRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency1348 Words   |  6 Pagescontext, with great concern, the federal government has placed an ever larger portion of its national focus on promoting a more efficient response to such concern via disaster mitigation and management with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A historical extension of the federal government for which is principle utilized for disaster aid and response, this agency is as much a direct extension of the current presidential administration as it is a crisis agency for social good. This simple descriptionRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency1005 Words   |  5 Pages In 1979 the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created to offer services the states had not substantially invested in and the consumer market had not offered (Moynihan, 2013). The idea was that on a national level it would be cheaper to establish one higher level agency to develop expertise on how to deal with disasters (Moynihan, 2013). Our national government has the ability to create and enforce common policies which would avoid the confusion of multiple state, local and nationalRead MoreThe Federal Emergency Management Agency961 Words   |  4 Pagespreparations that can enable us to minimize the effects of the natural disasters as much as possible when and if they happen. The Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA is primarily charged with ensuring that the Americans are all safe in case of any emergency. This is the basis of all their engagements and departments that exist therein. The range of emergencies that are included in the FEMA field of operation are natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, wild fires, earthquakes and man made