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There's a new Buzzfeed article that takes a look at the timing and extent of FEMA's involvement in the pandemic response.
I'll go through it and point some things out but I actually don't see anything too surprising in here. #EMGTwitter https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/fema-coronavirus-response-new-documents
I'll go through it and point some things out but I actually don't see anything too surprising in here. #EMGTwitter https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/fema-coronavirus-response-new-documents
Something people, and this article, are struggling to figure out is how to define "involvement".
The article shows (through 164 pgs of emails) that FEMA employees were talking about COVID since at least January. This is supposed to be the big revelation. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032814-LEOPOLD-FEMA-FOIA-coronavirus-covid-19.html
The article shows (through 164 pgs of emails) that FEMA employees were talking about COVID since at least January. This is supposed to be the big revelation. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7032814-LEOPOLD-FEMA-FOIA-coronavirus-covid-19.html
In January, February, and early March FEMA was serving as a support to HHS.
HHS is SUPPOSED to be the lead agency during public health emergencies. They were following the plan.
HHS is SUPPOSED to be the lead agency during public health emergencies. They were following the plan.
This leads into this second issue that is brought up -- the timing of the declarations & FEMA's greater involvement in coordination.
Yes, the White House was too slow to declare. Every expert in emergency management has said that all along. https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1238169826067005445
Yes, the White House was too slow to declare. Every expert in emergency management has said that all along. https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1238169826067005445
The second theme of this article is FEMA's capacity.
This is given as a reason FEMA officials didn't want to take lead.
Again, emergency management experts have been saying for YEARS that FEMA needs to address the perpetual staffing issues.
This is given as a reason FEMA officials didn't want to take lead.
Again, emergency management experts have been saying for YEARS that FEMA needs to address the perpetual staffing issues.
This paragraph is doing a lot. Yes, this needed to be done earlier but an important question is whether or not FEMA had the capacity to do that earlier.
Which is supported in a later paragraph, btw.
You have to build the capacity of and systems BEFORE the disaster happens.
Folks, I don't know how else to say this. https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1240472026353217539
Folks, I don't know how else to say this. https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1240472026353217539
This response makes a lot more sense when you understand that people have been warning about this for a long time.
Other than that the article points out basically what I summarized here: https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1240738791213674496
Anyway the article ends: “This is what you have when you have piss poor leadership.”
Yup. https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1240738800856379403
Yup. https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1240738800856379403
We need comprehensive emergency management reform and a White House that understands what leadership is and also doesn't lie in the middle of a crisis.
It is good and appropriate to go back and figure out "who knew what and when" but "lessons learned" are not interesting or helpful.
We already know what the problem is... they are the exact same ones that impede every major disaster/ catastrophe response.
We already know what the problem is... they are the exact same ones that impede every major disaster/ catastrophe response.
Knowing what went wrong in the response to the pandemic isn't the problem. We already know. The problem is getting elected officials (particularly Congress) to fix it.
Which, you guessed it, is why I keep saying we need comprehensive emergency management reform.
Which, you guessed it, is why I keep saying we need comprehensive emergency management reform.
