The names of the seven individuals considered for the top spot in FEMA have been known for nearly two weeks.  Releasing or leaking the names of potential nominees is a common practice in administrations and serves as an informal public vetting process.

To be effective, a public vetting process should include an opportunity for the public to learn how the nominees might address the specific challenges of the position they aspire to hold.  So far, that has not happened.

Many lives depend on effective disaster response management.  Therefore, all Americans, and particularly those ill-served by FEMA responses to Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Ike, have a vested interest in what the prospective FEMA Administrator proposes to do to reform the troubled agency.

What steps would nominees take to avoid repeating past fiascoes like those involving public communications and information access? The Obama Administration made a commitment in its first days to increase transparency and open government and allowing a leading FEMA oversight group to ask questions of prospective nominees would be a step in the right direction.

The Disaster Accountability Project emailed five questions to the potential nominees on January 30.  There has been no response and time is running out.  Reportedly, the FEMA Administrator position will be picked soon.

Therefore, readers are urged to immediately contact the White House and ask to have the following questions answered by nominees Ellis M. Stanley, Sr., Ellen Gordon, Bruce Baughman, Mark C. Merritt, W. Craig Fugate, Joseph F. Bruno, and Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore.

1) How will the Obama Administration’s clearly defined values of public accountability and transparency manifest in FEMA under your watch?  In particular, how will you value transparency in FEMA’s communications, logistics systems, pre- and post-disaster contracting, preparedness levels, gap analyses, mass care coordination between American Red Cross and FEMA, FEMA assistance and preparedness programs, and requests from media and citizens under the Freedom of Information Act?

2) The Bush White House, Congress, and literally hundreds of organizations (ranging from mental health to housing to disability rights groups) published reports after Katrina that contain thousands of policy recommendations to improve the U.S. disaster management systems so the problems that manifested before, during, and after Katrina never happen again.  Under your watch, how will FEMA address these Post-Katrina recommendations and how will FEMA value the engagement of citizens in its national planning and preparedness efforts?

3) Given the recent GAO report of severe inadequacies in mass care services (by the American Red Cross and others) in the event of a major disaster, how will you improve mass care preparedness and relief services and increase support for and coordination between FEMA and voluntary organizations (large and small) providing mass care services after disasters to ensure human needs after disasters are addressed?

4) What steps will you take to insure that agency staffing levels are on equal footing with other government agencies?  How will you prioritize fully-staffing FEMA with highly qualified personnel with diverse backgrounds, capable of working in very specialized ways?

5) Since Katrina, Congress has asked repeatedly for a comprehensive post-disaster housing plan.  FEMA has been outrageously delinquent in developing a plan and released an 11th-hour plan just as the previous FEMA Administration departed.  Will FEMA improve its response time to Congressional requests under your watch and how will you prioritize planning for short- and long-term post-disaster housing?