Michael Brown, Head of FEMA, Resigns

After getting shellacked in the press and by Democrats over the past two weeks for failing to address their every need within hours after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, Michael Brown has resigned.

He was reassigned to Washington DC on Friday, which I had noted by saying What can Brown do for you - Not much. Is it unfair to blame Brown for the slow response? Surely you can't be serious. Brown was in charge of FEMA's response, and that was perceived as being slow. People took offense to Brown's resume - that it quite possibly padded, and used his behavior and poor press conferences as a political tool against the Administration.

Is all the vitriol deserving? Not so fast.

Wasn't Brown in charge of FEMA during last year's diasterous hurricane season? Yes, he was. There was no question about the FEMA response to four hurricanes in Florida. Some people attribute the difference to the leadership at the state and local level, and there may well be something to that. The media is loathe to beat up on the state and local leaders, especially Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans and La. Gov. Kathleen Blanco, despite clear evidence that their actions bordered on the incompetent (Mayor Nagin's Memorial Motor Pool anyone?)

However, the scope of this hurricane is unprecedented in modern American history and FEMA should have been better situated to handle the disaster instead of ramping up after it passed. FEMA should have had people ready to man the phones to answer calls - instead media types scored free points getting stuck on hold or told to go to the FEMA website that only likes Internet Explorer and not Opera, Firefox or other non-MSFT products. Oh, and anyone wonder how someone who has no phone service, no power, or Internet access can access FEMA?

So, there was plenty to fault in Brown's actions and he has resigned. After the Katrina aftermath has settled down, I hope that thoughtful discussion over where and how FEMA responded and what can be done to improve state and local coordination, not to mention improve the perception of a swift response. Sometimes, making people think that the response is swift is just as important as swiftly responding. If people think that the response is swift, law and order are maintained, hopes remain high, and things get done quicker.

Oh, and if anyone is wondering whether that last bit about perceptions is a politicized notion, you're right. The media jumps on the idea that things are not going fast enough, and politicians jump on that as well. If the media is informed that things are going faster than they're reporting, as well as the size and magnitude of the response, people will have not only a better understanding of the process, but will reduce the politicization of the disaster response.