The eyes of the world were on the endeavors of FEMA during the disaster relief processes, which have played out since Hurricane Katrina. The recovery process was flawed, and thousands suffered because of the lack of organization of federal, state, and local rescue and relief efforts. With the magnitude of the disaster and the repeated efforts to pull a plan together, then-FEMA Director Michael Brown had no choice but to resign. Brown and his agency fell under intense criticism from both sides of Congress two weeks ago as Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast areas of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Brown said that FEMA?s resources were in place but were overwhelmed and that the total breakdown in communication made matters worse. Brown’s inexperience in disaster relief also became a huge issue.

President George Bush has subsequently named R. David Paulison as FEMA?s new acting director. He has led the US Fire Administration, a division of FEMA within the Homeland Security Department, that works to reduce life and economic losses caused by fire. Paulison began his career as a rescue firefighter and rose through the years to become fire chief. Hurricane Andrew gave Paulison much experience as an emergency worker in 1992. He also worked at the crash site of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Florida Everglades in 1996. Paulison is also a certified paramedic.