NATIONAL NEWS
September 13, 2005
A New Leader to Handle Emergencies
After complaints about the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, a new top official is named to lead relief efforts
 David Paulison (right) will replace Michael Brown (left) as leader of emergency management. |
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In the days after Hurricane Katrina, the federal government was slow to respond to survivors’ needs. Many blamed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The agency is in charge of helping people in need after a disaster such as Katrina.
The many complaints led FEMA's leader, Michael Brown, to step down on Monday. He resigned three days after he was removed from being the top federal official in charge of government relief efforts. Brown had little experience managing emergencies. He said he worried the controversy surrounding him had become a distraction from FEMA relief efforts.
|  On Monday, President George W. Bush toured New Orleans with local leaders. |
A New Man for the Job
Replacing Brown is David Paulison, a former firefighter who has many years of experience managing emergency situations. Paulison’s first priority is to make sure survivors are safe, and have food, water and medical care.
Paulison said his major goal as acting FEMA director is to find permanent homes for the tens of thousands of displaced Katrina survivors who are now in temporary shelters.
"We're going to get those people out of the shelters, and we're going to move and get them the help they need," Paulison said. FEMA plans to create temporary housing for about 200,000 hurricane survivors. The agency plans to use trailer homes to create "temporary cities." It is estimated that New Orleans alone hast lost 160,000 homes.
A Career in Emergency Response
Paulison began his career as a rescue firefighter in 1971. He is the former fire chief in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He was an emergency worker during the devastating Hurricane Andrew, which hit South Florida in 1992.
In 2001, Paulison was named director of the U.S. Fire Administration, which is part of FEMA. In 2003, he took on more responsibility as director of FEMA's Preparedness Division. There, he informed citizens about how to stay safe during emergencies.
President Bush Speaks Out
On Monday, President Bush was led through the heavily damaged streets of New Orleans on a large truck. The day after his tour, the President said the government could have done a better job responding. The current death toll from Katrina is 423 in Louisiana and 218 in Mississippi - much lower than the 10,000 deaths that were predicted.
"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at a news conference on Tuesday. "To the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility."
The President plans to speak to the nation about the recovery efforts on Thursday night.
