Federal Involvement In Emergency Management

This is a review of Emergency Management: The American Experience 1900-2000 by Claire B. Rubin (2012), chapters one and two. Over the past two centuries, there has been a remarkable series of disasters that have shaped the field of emergency management. In these two chapters, Rubin (2012) presents the overview and evolution of significant disasters that have collectively shaped the United States (U.S.) government’s emergency management and response. Additionally, Rubin (2012) specifically focuses on the response of emergency management. Historically, the earliest and most significant instance of federal involvement in emergency management dates back to 1803, when the New Hampshire town of Portsmouth was devastated by fire. In response

The functions and forms of emergency management have virtually changed with every presidential administration (Rubin, 2012). With both positive and negative effects, these changes in policies, federal programs, and grant requirements have motivated and guided state and local emergency management to the roles they play today. Today, with a significant increase in notable disasters, not only in the U.S., but globally, the federal government plays an essential role in emergency management. According to Rubin (2012), Americans expect the government to play a greater role in disaster response. This has led to unrealistic expectations of the federal government, which consequently has led the federal government failing to meet the needs of those affective. Rubin (2012), believes the cause for concern by the public is justified. The past ten years of disaster response by the federal government has cast doubt of the effectiveness and adequacy of the current emergency management system (Rubin, 2012). Many issues have arose, among those issues and most notably, is the lack of smooth and effective interagency relationships and communication on all levels after a disaster strikes. In addition, organizational and logistical issues, as well as, the quality and quantity of personnel and resources needed to respond effectively to an event (Rubin,

In the nineteenth-century, the U.S. became increasingly urban and populations more concentrated creating more destructive events. These events marked the first American Red Cross (ARC) response, which resulted in the federal government creating a formal charter to provide disaster response and recovery (Rubin, 2012). Founded in 1881, by Clara Barton, the ARC plays a unique role in disaster management. The ARC is not the federal government, it is independent, nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable, and unlike any other congressionally chartered organization, it has the legal status of “a federal instrumentality”, which means it is bound by the charter to carry out responsibilities that have been delegated down by the federal government (Rubin, 2012). These responsibilities currently include providing support and communication for U.S. military and their families, fulfilling the provisions of the Geneva Convention, in which the U.S. is a signatory that is assigned to national societies for the protection of victims of conflict, and lastly, maintaining a system of international and domestic disaster relief, which mandated responsibilities are defined in the National Response Plan (NRP) (Rubin, 2012). Today, the ARC responds to approximately 70,000 disasters in the U.S. annually, providing shelter, food, health, and mental health services (ARC,