Fema - Levels of Planning

FEMA: Levels of Planning

In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been under fire. Why did so much go wrong? Why were we were so unprepared? It appears that first-rate contingency planning was not in place. Contingency planning is essential in every organization, above all one that deals with environments that are so volatile. Without having concrete contingency plans in position and the people indispensable to operate them, FEMA will not be able to effectively counter to any national emergency.

FEMA is a disaster relief fund that is available to the people. Their mission is to provide assistance for any kind of disaster that may occur (i.e. fire, flood, Hurricane etc.). When hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the gulf coast, people all over the world were questioning where and when FEMA was going to aid the people of these cities. This incident alone has made us want to evaluate the effectiveness of contingency planning in this government agency. This information will give more imminent insight as to what the importance of improving or re-evaluating the government’s mission is for this relief agency by evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and trends that have an integral affect on how and when FEMA provides relief for the disasters that transpire.

FEMA offers many services to people all around the world for disaster relief. Their motto is “helping people before during and after disasters”. (FEMA, 2005, First