Help Victims of Natural and Human-Made Disasters
Action to assist in disaster relief, prevention, and risk sharing
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Government's Greatest Endeavors of the Second Half of the 20th Century
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Major Statutes:
* 1950 PL 81-875 Disaster Relief Act
* 1956 PL 84-1016 National Flood Insurance Program
* 1958 PL 85-500 Flood Control Act
* 1968 PL 90-448 Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (National Flood Insurance Program)
* 1968 PL 90-259 Fire Research and Safety Act
* 1974 PL 93-498 Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act
* 1979 Federal Emergency Management Agency established
Summary of Government Efforts:
The federal government has endeavored to decrease the damage and suffering man-made and natural disasters inflict on the United States. Several laws have been passed in order to strengthen the emergency management, government readiness and response in order to come up with a comprehensive natural disaster plan. These laws have endeavored to make the United States' response to natural disasters as quick and as fair as possible to lessen the hardships of those affected.
The first legislation that dealt with disaster relief was passed by the federal government in the form of the Congressional Act of 1803. This act was in response to a fire that did extensive damage in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As recovery efforts severely taxed community and state resources, Portsmouth's citizens sought federal relief. Between 1803 and 1950, more than 100 disasters of various types across the nation were fought with federal resources. During World War II, a Civil Defense department was established to respond to disasters and maintain civil preparedness. The Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 created the Federal Civil Defense Agency which established the framework for the federal civil defense policy that was used during the 1950's and also provided monetary assistance to states for preparedness activities. The principal focus of this act was protection from nuclear attack but also included plans that dealt with the emergency management and response strategy in case of a natural or man-made disaster.
On September 30, 1950, Congress passed the Federal Disaster Relief Act. This act was designed primarily to allow the federal government to provide limited relief to the states during times of man-made or natural disaster. This act included assistance to alleviate hardships and damages as well as to repair essential public facilities after a major disaster, and to encourage states to develop a disaster plan. The 1950 Disaster Relief Act gave the local and state governments the first line of official responsibility after a disaster occurs, made the federal response automatic and, for the first time, provided federal agencies the authority to coordinate inter-governmental relief efforts.
In 1968, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) [http://www.fema.gov/nfip] was established. The NFIP protects high risk flood areas by backing communities that agree to specific standards in reducing future flood damage. National Flood Insurance is available in more than 19,000 communities across the United States and its territories.
The Fire Research and Safety Act of 1968 established the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control to investigate the problems with fire the United States was facing and make recommendations. In 1973, this commission issued a report titled "America Burning" which recommended drastic measures to lessen the danger fire posed to the United States and called for the establishment of a United States Fire Administration and a national fire training academy. The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 incorporated the "America Burning" recommendations in establishing the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce (now the United States Fire Administration (USFA) [http://www.usfa.fema.gov]).
By the mid 1970's the federal response to disasters and emergencies was diffused between more than 100 different government agencies from the Department of Defense to the General Services Administration. With many services duplicated at the state and local levels, President Jimmy Carter passed an executive order in 1979 that merged many of the agencies involved in emergency preparedness and response into a new Federal Management Agency (FEMA) [http://www.fema.gov] that would coordinate disaster relief by setting up disaster assistance centers to deliver aid in effected communities. The mission of FEMA is to provide leadership and support in times of disaster, reduce the loss of life and property, and protect the nation from all types of hazards. Today, FEMA is a 2,500 person agency that has over 5,000 disaster reservists who can be called into action at a moment's notice.
References:
* Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Vol. 6, pp. 177
* Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Vol. 12, pp. 451-453
* Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Vol. 14, pp. 304-308
* Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Vol. 24, pp. 317, 326-327
* Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Vol. 24, pp. 356
* Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Vol. 30, pp. 331-332
* Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Vol. 34, pp. 802
* History of the Federal Fire Program. Legislative History of the Federal Fire Program.
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/about/history.htm * History of the Federal Management Agency.
http://www.fema.gov/about/history.htm * National Flood Insurance Program. Federal Emergency Management Agency.
http://www.fema.gov/nfip/summary.htm 
by madjack » Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:11 am 
