Michael D. Brown (Fema Honcho LA)

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Michael D. Brown

Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response

Michael D. Brown was nominated by President George W. Bush as the first Under Secretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response in the newly created Department of Homeland Security in January 2003. As the head of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Under Secretary Brown leads federal disaster response and recovery operations and coordinates disaster activities with more than two dozen federal agencies and departments and the American Red Cross. He also oversees the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration, and initiates proactive mitigation activities.

Additionally, Under Secretary Brown helps the Secretary of Homeland Security ensure the effectiveness of emergency responders, and directs the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center, the National Disaster Medical System and the Nuclear Incident Response Team.

Under Secretary Brown has led Homeland Security’s response to more than 164 presidentially declared disasters and emergencies, including the 2003 Columbia Shuttle disaster and the California wildfires in 2003. In 2004, Mr. Brown led FEMA’s thousands of dedicated disaster workers during the most active hurricane season in over 100 years, as FEMA delivered aid more quickly and more efficiently than ever before.

Previously, Mr. Brown served as FEMA's Deputy Director and the agency's General Counsel. Shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Mr. Brown served on the President's Consequence Management Principal's Committee, which acted as the White House's policy coordination group for the federal domestic response to the attacks. Later, the President asked him to head the Consequence Management Working Group to identify and resolve key issues regarding the federal response plan. In August 2002, President Bush appointed him to the Transition Planning Office for the new Department of Homeland Security, serving as the transition leader for the EP&R Division.

Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.

Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.

A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University’s School of Law.

» Speeches by Under Secretary Michael D. Brown

Last Updated: Wednesday, 22-Jun-2005 11:25:20 EDT

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[Anti-Bubba182]

I will be surprised if this one keeps his job.

[Rokke]

Take a look at Alabama and Mississippi if you want to see what FEMA is capable of when there is some semblance of state government. FEMA's role is to support state's recovery efforts. Not replace state governments.

[tbeatty]

Maybe. But Mississippi and Alabama are doing much better than Louisiana.

The difference? Not FEMA. Not the Feds. But two Republican governors who prepared and are working correctly with FEMA vs. one incompetent Dem governor who hasn't been seen on 2 days.

The press will figure this out eventually. They didn't follow their own disaster plan. They didn't activate the guard until Wednesday. I don't think she's even asked for Federal troops yet. If the press figures out she's the common factor, Brown might keep his job.

I would like to see Colin Powell or Giuliani take over the specific relief effort of New Orleans. Shut the governor and mayor out of the equation and let the effort succeed.

[Rokke]

"Robert Modean Says:
September 2nd, 2005 at 12:24 pm
Sorry Joel & ROE, but you guys are WAAAYYY off base in criticizing FEMA. Disaster preparedness is the responsibility of State and Local authorities – in this case LEMA (The Louisiana Emergency Management Agency). There is a state-wide director for disaster relief in every state – that person is called the Governor. There is a local director for disaster relief in every municipality – that person is called the Mayor.

FEMA is a coordinating body that assists State and Local authorities in getting the resources they need. Because they are the “go to” people most folks are under the impression that they are in charge, and in fact if the State and Local authorities abdicate control over a disaster area they will take over. Typically after the initial response to a disaster the local guys do just that, leave FEMA in control. That’s because they have the experience and personnel to manage disasters of this scale.

Disclosure: I’m a volunteer coordinator for MEMA (The Missouri Emergency Management Agency), I’ve been through three major floods and a few big storms that generated enough tornado damage to get the affected counties disaster relief – believe me when I tell you what we are seeing from FEMA now is lightyears ahead of what I’ve seen from them in the past. Typically it took two to three days just to get the disaster declaration, then another two to three to get FEMA deployed – of course by then the local guys had been on the ground working around the clock for five or six days and we were more than happy to dump everything in FEMA’s lap. That’s the way the system is designed. Bush saw that and tried to skip a few steps to speed things up, he pre-declared the areas disaster areas. So what we are seeing in NO is the result of a convergence of factors:

First, the storm damage was bad, but the flooding has made relief efforts ten times harder than anything they could have imagined. Second, Mayor Nagin’s performance has been pathetic. This is the worst case of poor planning and criminal incompetence I’ve ever seen.

Like I said, Bush declared the gulf coast area a Federal Disaster area on Saturday – two days before Katrina hit. That freed up FEMA resources for local and state coordinators and allowed for the pre-positioning of supplies so they could be rapidly deployed to the affected areas. Mayor Nagin waited until the last minute to call for an evacuation of the city, but the poorest people could not evacuate – why weren’t school busses used to get them out of town?

Mayor Nagin made the last minute decision to declare the Superdome and COnvention centers as refuge relocation points – why weren’t they stocked with water, food, bedding, generators, and fuel? Why weren’t hospitals offered additional resources by the Mayors office?

Mayor Nagin made the decision to allow looting and told the police to focus on Search and Rescue – but looting hinders S&R efforts (as we’ve seen) and no one I know could believe that decision – it’s emergency management 101, preserving order preserves life. There’s plenty of blame to go around – Blanco deserves her share too – but the real culprit in the aftermath here is Nagin."

[Rokke]

Thud posted the previous on the latest Katrina thread.

[Anti-Bubba182]

He is taking a beating on TV interviews and seems uninformed
of situations widely reported on TV. Fema does not look good in this and neither does he.

[Rokke]

"Fema does not look good in this and neither does he."

Only to those who don't know what the true role of FEMA is. To those who know (like the President) the failures clearly lie within the governments inside LA. You cannot blame FEMA for shortcomings of the people it is working for.

[nascaryankee]

Here is the problem. People are going off that if we are not prepared for this, what about terrorism. We are prepared to respond to terrorist attacks. We have been so focused on terrorism since 9-11 that the government forgot the biggest danger to America - mother nature. The money is not being spent to prepare for natural disasters like it is for terrorism. How do I know this? Because my mother is a EMA director in Ohio, her biggest issue with FEMA (it really is Homeland Security in charge, not FEMA) is that the federal funds focus too much on terrorism alone and not on ALL possible disasters.

[concerned about politics]

The federal government may not intervene until asked by the governor. She split, and left the people in NO to swim.

Thank God President Bush moved in. Finally, some one is doing something to organize that mess down there. It's a heavily democrat state, yet there's not one democrat politician down there doing anything. The Republicans are down there straightening things up, and it's not even their job!!

When Florida gets it, it's always Jebs fault when someone gets hurt. Now that a democrat governor fails, it's the presidents fault?

[Anti-Bubba182]

Look I can see your point, but that is not going to excuse him not knowing about the situation in NO.

Leader of Federal Effort Feels the Heat

"..WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 - On Thursday night, Michael D. Brown, the federal government's point man for managing the response to Hurricane Katrina, made a remarkable confession on live television.

Speaking of the thousands stranded at the convention center in New Orleans without food or water, Mr. Brown said that his agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had just learned of their plight.

CNN's Paula Zahn was incredulous. "Sir," she said, "you aren't just telling me you just learned that the folks at the convention center didn't have food and water until today, are you? You had no idea they were completely cut off?"

"Paula," Mr. Brown replied unequivocally, "the federal government did not even know about the convention center people until today..."

[msnimje]

Let's have a look at two events, 9/11 and Katrina.
George W. Bush and his administration were in office during both. In New York they had the Mayor/ Governor team of Guliani/Pataki. In New Orleans the team is Nagin/Blanco.

Okay class, what is the difference?

[Rokke]

"but that is not going to excuse him not knowing about the situation in NO."

The man is overseeing the disaster recovery effort of the largest natural to hit this nation in its history. 90,000 square miles including 3 states and several large cities. The idiots running New Orleans didn't tell FEMA that people had broken into the Convention Center there to take refuge. And you say it is his fault for not knowing?!

[Responsibility1st]

"Paula," Mr. Brown replied unequivocally, "the federal government did not even know about the convention center people until today..."

Meant to say...."The mayor's office told us NO ONE was at the convention center, yeah, that's the ticket".

[concerned about politics]

"Paula," Mr. Brown replied unequivocally, "the federal government did not even know about the convention center people until today..."

How would they know if the state officials never told them? Where was the governor? Why was there no communication? She was in charge. Where was she? Jeb would have been right on it! He'd have been all over this!

[concerned about politics]

George W. Bush and his administration were in office during both. In New York they had the Mayor/ Governor team of Guliani/Pataki. In New Orleans the team is Nagin/Blanco. Okay class, what is the difference?

Florida got hit hard with hurricanes, and everything was under control. Who was in charge there, too?

[Anti-Bubba182]

Excuse me, if he goes on television as the Fema point man not
knowing what is being reported in the media it is absolutely his fault.

[Rokke]

The media is also reporting cannibalism and that blacks are purposely being left to starve. Reread your own article. He says "Paula," Mr. Brown replied unequivocally, "the federal government did not even know about the convention center people until today...". He knew about them. FEMA just hadn't had time to respond. But the folks there were already receiving water and food and there is photographic proof of that happening yesterday (probably while this interview was underway). Maybe you have the ability to run a gigantic disaster effort and watch T.V. all day, but the folks who really do the job have a little more on their minds.