Michael Brown (lawyer)
Michael DeWayne Brown (born November 8, 1954 in Guymon , Texas County , Oklahoma ) is an American lawyer and former government official. Until his resignation on September 12, 2005, he was director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) .
Career
Prior to his appointment by President George W. Bush , he worked for the International Arabian Horse Association . His biography, published by the White House , stated that Brown worked for the City of Edmond , overseeing the emergency services there; a city spokesman said it was more of an internship - so Brown was not a manager to whom other employees reported. Brown and his two deputies served as campaign leader for Bush during the 2000 presidential election . According to the Washington Post , five of the eight top FEMA officials, including Brown's two deputies, got to work despite having little or no experience in disaster management.
Michael Brown's resignation was not entirely unexpected - because FEMA also alleviates the consequences of terrorist attacks, calls for his resignation were loud. This came after Hurricane Katrina , where aid started relatively late, and also because the slow response had shown that FEMA would be unable, for better or worse, to cope with the effects of major terrorist attacks.
Brown previously led the operational aspects of disaster relief in the Louisiana area . The head of the Department of Homeland Security , Michael Chertoff , removed him after a few days and he was ordered back to the FEMA headquarters in Washington, DC . His successor in the line of operations was Thad W. Allen , Vice Admiral of the Coast Guard .
He lives in Beverly Hills with his daughter Bianca Brown.
Controversy as a FEMA director
Hurricane Frances
In 2004, FEMA paid $ 30 million to residents of the city of Miami ( Florida ) from a disaster relief fund - Miami was a city which does not from Hurricane Frances was affected. Brown admitted that his agency was overpaying $ 12 million, but denied serious errors and blamed a computer glitch. The editors of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper saw Brown as responsible after their research and demanded his dismissal.
In January 2005, on the basis of the Sun Sentinel report, Democratic Congressman Robert Wexler called on President Bush to fire Brown. Wexler repeated the call in April to Michael Chertoff's address with new allegations, according to which FEMA employs staff with a criminal record for robbery and fraud to record damage.
Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005 - five hours after the hurricane hit the mainland - Brown called on rescue workers for the first time, but they could only be deployed after two days of training. He stated that fire and rescue services outside of the affected areas should not send vehicles and rescuers without a direct request from a state or local government to avoid coordination problems. Restrictions on state powers have also been an issue, he said.
On September 1, 2005, Michael Brown told CNN journalist Paula Zahn in an interview that he did not know that thousands of people endured without food or drinking water at the Ernest Morial Convention Center in New Orleans . TV pictures of the unspeakable conditions in this accommodation were shown at least one day before this interview. Brown also criticized the citizens remaining in New Orleans for their "refusal" to leave the city. Many people from the poor, especially black, population group of New Orleans could not flee at all because they had no cars or money.
On 2 September 2005 the declared mayor of Chicago , Richard M. Daley that he, police officers, doctors and health staff can send to the disaster area firefighters; but he was only asked to provide a tanker truck.
Further criticism came in November 2005 when Brown's e-mail correspondence became known. It emerged from this that during the disaster he devoted himself less to coordinating civil protection, but rather coordinating his tie colors and suits with his press officer or looking for a suitable dog sitter, for example.
Marty Bahamonde was the only FEMA employee in the New Orleans Superdome when the hurricane hit the city. Using a satellite-supported communication device, he reported in emails about the disastrous situation in this accommodation. Bahamonde described the catastrophic situation and that he was sleeping on the ground himself. Brown replied:
"Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"
German: "Thanks for this info. Should I do something or optimize something?"
Another example, in an email to his press officer:
"Can I quit now? Can I come home?"
Discrepancies in the curriculum vitae
The TIME Magazine reported on 9 September 2005 that Brown's resume contained false on the FEMA Web site information. According to the curriculum vitae, Brown was an "assistant city manager" (and not an "internal" - the difference is whether he is a simple employee or whether he leads subordinates as a manager), an "outstanding political science professor " (it would have " senior "; i.e. a third-year student) and that he would have worked as a director of a nursing home. FEMA officials have questioned the accuracy of the TIME allegations.
Web links
- Michael Brown in the nndb (English)
- Biography at the White House
Individual evidence
- ↑ 'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged. In: CNN.com . November 4, 2005, accessed June 27, 2019 .
- ↑ TIME: How Reliable Is Brown's Resume? (September 8, 2005)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Brown, Michael |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Brown, Michael DeWayne (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American lawyer and former government official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 8, 1954 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Guymon , Texas County , Oklahoma |