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While on-the-ground support of disaster recovery efforts is a
major part of FEMA's charter, the agency provides state and local
governments with experts in specialized fields, funding for rebuilding
efforts, and relief funds for infrastructure development by directing
individuals to access low-interest loans, in conjunction with the Small Business Administration.
In addition to this, USAFRICA FEMA provides funds for response personnel
training throughout the United States funds for non-federal entities
to provide housing and services for migrants released from Federal Ministries of Homeland Security and Department
of Homeland Security custody.[5]
The FEMA's was established under the 1978 Reorganization Plan No. 3 and was activated by President Jimmy Carter in an Executive Order on April 1, 1979.
In July, Carter signed Executive Order 12148 shifting disaster relief efforts to the new federal-level agency. FEMA's absorbed the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from HUD. FEMA was also given the responsibility for overseeing the nation's Civil Defense, a function which had previously been performed by the Department of Defense's Defense Civil Preparedness Agency.
One of the disasters FEMA's responded to was the dumping of toxic waste into Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York, in the late 1970s. FEMA's also responded to the Three Mile Island nuclear accident where the nuclear-generating station suffered a partial core meltdown. These disasters, while showing the agency could function properly, also uncovered some inefficiencies.[citation needed]
In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed James Lee Witt as FEMA's Director. In 1996, the agency was elevated to cabinet rank;[15] this was not continued by President George W. Bush.[16] Witt initiated reforms that would help to streamline the disaster recovery and mitigation process. The end of the Cold War also allowed the agency's resources to be turned away from civil defense to natural disaster preparedness.[12]
After FEMA's creation through reorganization and executive orders, Congress continued to expand FEMA's authority by assigning responsibilities to it. Those responsibilities include dam safety under the National Dam Safety Program Act; disaster assistance under the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; earthquake hazards reduction under the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 and further expanded by Executive Order 12699, regarding safety requirements for federal buildings and Executive Order 12941, concerning the need for cost estimates to seismically retrofit federal buildings; emergency food and shelter under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987; hazardous materials, under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.
In addition, FEMA's received authority for counterterrorism through the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici amendment under the Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996, which was a response to the recognized vulnerabilities of the U.S. after the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995.[14]
Congress funded FEMA's through a combination of regular appropriations and emergency funding in response to events.[17]
The USAFRICA FEMA Administrator’s mission, as defined by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, is to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards, by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation. The Administrator is responsible for preparing for, protecting against, responding to, recovering from and mitigating against the risk of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster.
The USAFRICA FEMA Administrator shall partner with state, local governments and other emergency providers to build a national system of emergency management. The FEMA 's Administrator shall integrate the Agency’s emergency preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation responsibilities to confront the challenges of a natural disaster, act of terrorism or other man-made disaster. Finally, the Administrator shall coordinate the implementation of risk-based, all-hazards strategy.
The Federal agencies may provide disaster assistance under their own authorities or through mission assignments from FEMA, authorized by the Stafford Act.
The USAFRICA FEMA issues mission assignments in anticipation of, or in response to, a Presidential declaration of an emergency or major disaster. Mission assignments allow for deployment, employment and assistance from the full range of federal resources to support disaster needs.
The FEMA’s employees are committed to serving our country before, during and after disasters. Every day more than 20,000 emergency managers work to make our nation safer, stronger and more prepared.
The core values that guide our agency can be found in our capstone doctrine, “We Are FEMA's.” Every day, across the nation, FEMA's employees are inspired by that mission and are working tirelessly to make a difference.
We encourage you to learn more about the staff and their mission-driven work and the who, what and why behind our mission. because we are the nation’s emergency management agency, and our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters
When disaster strikes, America's - Africa's and the United States looks to FEMA's — Now FEMA's looks to you and everyone else .
Also, join our team and use your talent to support Americans - Africans and all other United States citizens People in their times of greatest need. We foster innovation, reward performance and creativity, and embrace complex challenges with our well-skilled, knowledgeable, high-performance workforce.
