Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management

Crisis and Emergency Management

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March 2007                                                                            Volume 12 - Number 3

Perspectives...

Personal Experience
By Carrie Strain

I spent two years working as a contractor for FEMA in the Gulf Coast.  This opportunity was the best life experience I have had thus far.  I was able to completely devote myself to helping others in their time of need and help rebuild what was lost.  I believe it is in these moments of compassion and selflessness that we do our greatest work.  

I will never forget the first time I saw absolute destruction.  I was sent to Pensacola, Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ivan.  No words can describe what the landscape looked like; the television does it no justice.  No matter where you looked the damage was everywhere and there was no way to escape it.  You sense the sorrow and anger of utter hopelessness in the displaced victims and if you are not careful their depression will consume you.  There were not enough hours in the day to do all the work we felt obligated to do, we simply could not work fast enough.  It seemed impossible to please everyone; someone was always upset at something FEMA did or did not do.  Nothing was ever good enough.  I wanted to remind everyone that Rome was not built in one day.  I should put THAT quote on a t-shirt and see how well it sells on Bourbon Street.

Depending on my location in the Gulf there were certain rules enforced by FEMA for the safety of its workforce.  Not following these rules could result in one of a few things from FEMA or the general public: reprimand, loss of a job, news articles written about the action under question, and even the threat of violence which I witnessed on a few occasions.  While I understand that not everyone can be satisfied with the almighty checkbook that is FEMA, I feel some of the hard feelings and harsh words should not be aimed at the organizations’ frontline soldiers.  Undo pressure and the stress of the public’s opinion does not foster a healthy, productive work environment.   In fact, I believe that is the main reason why FEMA’s field workers have such a high turn around rate.  We simply get burned out on the politics and extremely high expectations with no wiggle room for a mistake.  

FEMA workers are human too.

Humans that live out of a suitcase.  The freedom that stems from the ability to uproot yourself and completely change your location with only a few hours notice is something I think everyone should experience at least once in their life.  It is a liberating life style to say the least.  “FEMA Flexible” is what we live by out in the field.  My own experience proved you have to be willing to be stuck in transit for several hours on the way to your destination as well.   My first deployment started with a 32 hour stint in several U.S. airports – apparently FEMA forgot to inform the airport staff that we would need to leave on an unscheduled charter airplane.  FEMA and logic…what?  That is like mixing oil and water; they pretty much repel each others’ existence.  I could have driven from Atlanta to Orlando and back again in the same amount of time it took our group to fly just one way.  If that is what they refer to as being FEMA flexible, I should now qualify to be an Olympic gymnast.    

Looking back on my time spent in the field, I know these times of frustration are what make the disaster experience an unforgettable adventure.  Cities that look like war zones, public outrage resulting in shotgun threats and long days spent in airports are just a few experiences that left no day to boredom.  Disaster work is not for those who like routines.  No two disasters are alike, and no day is predictable – that much you can count on.