FEMA is an organization in the United States of America that was as formed as a result of a Presidential Executive Order to respond to emergency situations. FEMA in full means, ‘Federal Emergency management Agency’ and is regarded as the most powerful organization in the United States of America. It is above the President, the Military as well as the Constitution and the Bill of rights. However, it is little known by majority of the people.
FEMA came into existence following a series of Executive Orders and through a Presidential Reorganization Plan three in the year 1978. On the 1st day of April 1979, two Executive Orders made the organization functional. In July the same year, Executive Order number 12148 was signed by President Carter tasking FEMA with disaster response matters. It was primarily created purposefully to attend and respond to emergence disasters which have got out of the control of the national and state authorities’ resources.
In April 1984 the organization was further allowed to involve in a secret national exercise that was designed to test its readiness to take over the military in case of an internal national emergency. The exercise was directed by President Reagan under the code name of REX 84 which was greatly guarded in the FEMA offices in Washington D.C. (Martin and Caul, 1995).
In 1990, with President Bush’s attack on Iraq imminent, FEMA tightened its already alarming powers. It included FEMA’s move into action on any of the United States without permission from the national or state governments. In the year 1992 following the Los Angeles Riots that threatened to split into the neighboring cities, FEMA was given the powers to step into such riots.
In 1996, FEMA was promoted to the cabinet rank to aid in effective response to disasters. After the September 2001 bomb attack, the congress ruled to form the department of Homeland Security into which FEMA became part of in March 2003. This move facilitated improved coordination among the different federal agencies that are engaged in law enforcement, border protection and civil defense as well as disaster preparedness and recovery (Martin and Caul, 1995).
References
FEMA. (2013). Retrieved May 29, 2013, from www.fema.gov/aboutfema
Martin, H. V., & Caul, D. (1995). FEMA - The Secret Government. Retrieved from Copyright FreeAmerica website: http://dmc.members.sonic.net/sentinel/gvcon6.html
