you can toss out fema's previous priorities and goals
I went looking for something more recent, since I had seen and read it earlier—but could not find it. Instead, I found this:
The goals and objectives laid out in the Plan will help ensure success for our agency, emergency management community, and those we serve.
Goal 1: Instill equity as a foundation of emergency management
Goal 2: Lead whole of community in climate resilience
Goal 3: Promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation
You can scratch both 1 and 2 off the bat. Just today as I write this, any federal employee with “equity and diversity” was placed on administrative leave, via a Presidential Executive Order.
I don’t know if there is an Executive Order on climate change, but there is one on the equivalent of “drill baby drill.” You can cross Goal 2 off any list of future priorities.
Yes, radical changes are coming—just about everywhere. I know from my own personal experience that it takes little effort to trash a program. It takes seemingly forever to build or rebuild something new from the ground-up. Destruction can be done with the stroke of a pen. Changing plans, programs, procedures for the better takes years of effort to accomplish. Out with the old sounds great, but “in with the new” will take a long time to accomplish.
What might the new FEMA priorities be for the new administration? These are only guesses:
Ensure that no immigrant communities are receiving federal disaster assistance
Be prepared to assist in all manner of ways to the deportation of illegal immigrants/at the border or within FEMA Regions
Reduce the cost of federal disasters by minimizing federal disaster liabilities, e.g. shift more disaster recovery costs to state and local governments
End any and all international efforts at coordinating emergency management or assisting other nations. “America First!”
Begin a new focus on civil defense against possible nuclear attacks
Downsize FEMA employees and shift more disaster response onto civilian contractors (reducing the headcount of the agency)
Close the Emergency Management Institute (EMI) as a cost reduction. Everything is online or via video conferencing
A loyalty pledge of some type? OK, this one is “out there, but….?”
It will all be very interesting to watch play out in real time.
