In my post on Saturday, August 26, in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey's devastating blow to southeast Texas cities, I incorrectly stated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was without a permanent administrator and that President Trump had not even submitted a nomination to fill the post.
That was incorrect, and I apologize for relying on my memory rather than checking. In fact, Trump did nominate the experienced, highly capable William "Brock" Long in April, and he was confirmed by the Senate in June by a vote of 95 to 4.
A former FEMA official under President Bill Clinton, Mark Merritt, says of Long that he is "probably one of the best prepared the country could ask for." Long has nearly two decades of experience working in emergency management and planning, including the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and as regional hurricane leader for FEMA.
According to HuffPost's Chris D'Angelo, Todd has received accolades from environmental groups as one who "will work toward better preparing the country for climate change-driven extreme weather."
We can only hope that the example of his FEMA chief and the devastation from Hurricane Harvey on Texas will have an effect on President Trump. His FEMA budget proposal for 2018 slashed funding for local and state programs by $667 million, and it cut $190 million from the National Flood Insurance Program. In addition, he scrapped an Obama-era rule requiring that agencies consider the rising sea levels from climate change in construction standards for highways and infrastructure to withstand flooding.
So, while I apologize for failing to credit President Trump with having actually made a very good appointment to head FEMA, I now call on him to listen to this highly qualified FEMA head he has chosen and take his advice in his budgetary planning to deal with future climate-change-caused disasters.
Ralph
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