FEMA has a knack for meeting public expectations; unfortunately, those expectations are very low. Case example: At an October 23 press conference, FEMA public affairs staff, including Cindy Taylor and Mike Widomski, posed as reporters as they asked Deputy Administrator Harvey Johnson softball questions about the agency’s response to the California fires. By providing little notice and a listen-only conference line, FEMA had blocked real reporters from asking more challenging questions.
Following the incident, DHS Secretary Chertoff promised to have “appropriate disciplinary action taken against those people who exhibited what I regard as extraordinarily poor judgement.” Now, we learn that Taylor and Widomski have been promoted, to director of the Private Sector Division and deputy director of public affairs, respectively. As the Washington Post commented, “Heck of a job.”
After this, it will be hard for senior FEMA officials to allege with straight faces that the phony interview did not have high-level advance approval. But, they undoubtedly will try.
2 users commented in " What accountability means at FEMA "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThis blog sucks, bro.
Quit picking on everybody and go do something.
Response to waltersobchak (Dec. 7 comment):
In fact, the authors of this blog did “go do something.” In my case, I spent 16 years working with federal agencies to improve emergency response. Our efforts to improve preparedness and to aid disaster victims were thwarted by mismanagement and corruption at FEMA, the Red Cross and other public entities. The problems persisted because there was no effective, continuous system of oversight and accountability. DAP hopes to remedy that.
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