Bush appoints Fema chief

2006-04-07 12:19

Hope Yen

Washington - With hurricane season two months away, President George W Bush nominated the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) to be permanent head of the disaster response agency.

David Paulison, a firefighter for 30 years, took over at Fema in September after Bush named him to replace the beleaguered Michael Brown. Brown quit in the face of unrelenting criticism over the agency's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina.

If confirmed by the senate, Paulison, 59, would be under-secretary for federal emergency management at the Homeland security department.

Paulison said: "I'd be darned if I was going to turn my back on it." Paulison said the agency would be ready for the June 1 start of the hurricane season.

Bush administration 'unprepared'

Paulison and Chertoff said they were working to fill hundreds of vacant positions at Fema. The agency was now at 80% in terms of all full-time employees and intended to reach 95% by June 1.

The Bush administration had come under widespread criticism for being unprepared for Katrina, which smashed into the Gulf Coast on August 29, and for responding too slowly afterward.

In 1992, Paulison was just six weeks into his new job as fire chief in Florida's Miami-Dade County after Hurricane Andrew struck, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and causing billions of dollars in damage.

Paulison also led the department through the 1996 crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Florida Everglades.

Praised for his response to Andrew, Paulison brought hands-on experience and his training in fighting fires and emergency management to his post as Fema's interim director.

Paulison moves to Washington

A longtime advocate of home-emergency kits, Paulison made a splash in 2003 when as director of Fema's emergency preparedness unit he urged the public to stock supplies of duct tape and plastic sheeting to seal windows and doors in case of a terrorist attack.

Home hardware stores in several areas ran out of duct tape as a result and manufacturers spurred production to meet the surge in demand.

A certified paramedic, Paulison moved to Washington in late 2001. After Fema became part of the Homeland security department in 2003, he led Fema's emergency preparedness force until last year. He also had led the US fire administration.

Chertoff also announced the hiring of three other Fema executives: Vice Admiral Harvey E Johnson Jr as Fema deputy director and chief operating officer; acting Fema mitigation division director David Maurstad to the permanent role; and Deidre Lee as deputy director of operations.

- AP