FEMA Chief Says He Plans To Step Down

By MARTIN MERZER

(Published April 02, 2008)

ORLANDO, Fla. — After more than two years on the hot seat, R. David Paulison said Wednesday that he plans to resign as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - regardless of who takes over the White House.

Paulison, a former Miami-Dade fire chief and still a resident of the Fort Lauderdale area, said he could depart at any time before a new administration comes into power in January, though he later said he does not plan to leave before or during the hurricane season.

Paulison took control of FEMA in September 2005 after the agency and its then chief, Michael Brown, came under heavy criticism for their performance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Florida native has won generally positive reviews for his performance.

"It's a tough job," Paulison, 61, said during a roundtable discussion with several reporters at the National Hurricane Conference. "There's a lot of stress on your family. It's time to go back and spend time with my family and get a real job again."

He said he will resign regardless of who is inaugurated Jan. 20. Would he stay in response to a request from the new president?

"Right now, probably not," said Paulison, who spent 30 years with Miami-Dade's fire department and considers South Florida in general and Broward in particular his home.

A top aide, assistant administrator Carlos Castillo, a former Miami-Dade emergency director, told The Miami Herald that he also plans to resign from FEMA. Castillo, 47, joined Paulison in Washington less than a year ago.

In a wide ranging discussion, Paulison also dropped this bombshell: The agency no longer will truck ice into regions struck by hurricanes or other disasters. He said ice can be a comfort, but it is not a necessity.

"I don't know how FEMA got into the ice business, but it's not a life-saving commodity," he said. "People say they need it because they want it. They don't need it. It's not one of FEMA's key jobs."

 Overall, though, Paulison said he believes the agency's $9 billion budget is adequate and he is proud of the progress FEMA has made under his command.

He pointed to its current hurricane readiness and to its generally well-regarded response last year to the California wildfires near San Diego.

"When I took over FEMA," Paulison said, "it really was a demoralized organization that was ready to collapse upon itself. One of the big issues that I had to deal with was leadership in the organization."

Many in the forecasting and emergency management communities said he fixed that problem and would be missed.

"His legacy will be the new blood he brought into FEMA," said Craig Fugate, Florida's director of emergency management. "David is not running away from the job. He's leaving a good team there."

Nevertheless, the agency still absorbs criticism for its continuing role in New Orleans and other areas savaged nearly three years ago by Katrina and Hurricane Rita. About 40,000 families still live in temporary trailers or mobile homes along the coast.

FEMA announced in February that some of those mobile homes had high levels of formaldehyde, which can cause respiratory problems. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that some mobile homes stored for possible use by victims of future disasters also have high levels of the preservative.

Last month, a Washington Post columnist reported a "rumor" that a tired and "disillusioned" Paulison recently had been threatening to leave and that the White House and others were trying to talk him out of it.

Asked specifically about the timing of his departure, Paulison initially said this Wednesday: "I'll stay as long as I can."

Asked if that meant he might leave within weeks or months, he said: "That will be my and my family's decision. We haven't had that discussion yet. I don't have any jobs in mind, no offers or anything like that.

"I'm here for now, but somewhere between now and Jan. 20, I'll be leaving and we're not exactly sure when that will be."

Later, seeking to clarify his remarks, he said he would not leave during the six-month hurricane season that begins June 1 and he had "no plans" to leave before the season begins "though I can't predict everything that can happen."

Looking back, he said that when he was asked to take over the agency, his first response was: "Why would I do that?"

Only 1,500 of the agency's 2,100 full-time positions were filled, he said, and only two of its 10 regions had directors in place. Now, he said, the agency is fully staffed at 3,400 full-time positions.

Paulison also touched on these issues: He reiterated FEMA's new policy of not buying emergency generators for the general public, though the ill, disabled and other particularly needy people might still qualify for them.

He said people must make a greater effort to prepare themselves for disasters by stockpiling food, medicine, drinkable water and other crucial items. He and other experts said that the federal and state governments cannot be expected to deliver instant aid to millions of people spread over a vast region.

 Nevertheless, FEMA is working with Florida officials on a comprehensive plan to help South Floridians recover from a catastrophic hurricane.

"A Category 5 hurricane coming into South Florida and then moving elsewhere through the state has the potential of affecting 7 million people," Paulison said.

After serving for seven years in Washington - the first four as U.S. fire administrator - Paulison is expected to take a post in the private sector, but he said he is confident he is leaving FEMA in good shape.He already has selected a replacement as interim director, Nancy Ward, a former emergency manager in California who currently serves as a FEMA regional director. "We're going to make sure that every bit of knowledge we've picked up, every lesson we've learned, all the programs we've put in place get transferred very clearly to the next administration," Paulison said.