DHS to Unveil FEMA Reforms

On Monday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff plans to announce a number of modifications to the United States’ emergency response agency, the Associated Press reports via Yahoo News.

The changes at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) include hiring as many as 1,500 new employees as year-round coordinators, the AP reports.

“We know there’s considerable work to do,” a senior DHS official, who requested anonymity because the changes had not yet been announced, told the AP.

The alterations come shortly after a House inquiry found that FEMA’s less-than-stellar Katrina response efforts were due in part to unheeded warnings, poor planning and indifference in recognizing the hurricane’s scale.

Here’s a list of a few of the planned changes the AP reported:

• Trucks or other vehicles carrying food, water, emergency supplies and the like will now be tracked via satellite to ensure they arrive prepared and on-time

• FEMA employees will be sent to emergency shelters and other housing venues to help register victims for aid, instead of counting on the victims to register themselves

• A database will be created to house lists of pre-approved private contracting firms from disaster regions to better provide emergency services, like debris removal

• “Reconnaissance teams” will be formed to facilitate faster reports on disaster conditions

• As many as 1,500 new, full-time employees will be hired as coordinators

Ex-FEMA Chief Brown Blasts DHS.

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