Craig Fugate -- Obama's pick to run FEMA
Fugate, with Florida Governer Charlie Crist, in 2008.Barack Obama has named Craig Fugate at the new head of FEMA. FEMA has suffered from being synonymous with governmental failure in the wake of Katrina. Fugate, who has been the director of Florida's division of Emergency Management since 2001, is known for both his steady hand, and for his view that the federal government is not the be-all end-all in disaster relief.
From an AP report on the nomination:
Fugate has been praised for helping guide Florida through several devastating hurricanes in the past decade. He was criticized in 2005 for not distributing enough ice, water and other supplies immediately after Hurricane Wilma. Fugate had warned residents before the storm that they should have enough supplies for three days after it passed, but many did not and that overstressed the system.
Napolitano called Fugate one of the most experienced emergency managers in the country.
"The work he's accomplished in Florida serves as a model for other states," Napolitano said in a statement. "He will be a tremendous asset to FEMA and it's employees."
After Hurricane Katrina, Fugate said there was too much focus on blaming the federal government for the botched response. He said in a 2006 interview with The Associated Press that it was the state's responsibility to prepare for such disasters, and the state should only turn to the federal government for help when the disaster is larger than the state can handle on its own. Fugate began his career in emergency response as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, before being promoted to a 10-year stint as the emergency manager for Florida's Alachua County.
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