Washington – The incoming regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says a new team is putting the often-criticized organization on the right track.
“I’ve had a lot of people scratch their head and say, ‘What are you doing?”‘ Robert Flowers said of his new post in an interview today. “I say, ‘What better time to go?’ This is a good time to move forward with a new team. What you’re going to see in the future is what you really expect from FEMA.”
Flowers was named Monday to head the Lakewood-based FEMA region that covers Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and the Dakotas. He is taking over a job that has been vacant for more than two years.
Flowers said he sees the main threats to the region as wildfires in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming and floods in the Dakotas.
The agency was accused of sluggish ineptitude for its response to Hurricane Katrina. But Flowers said that when he worked with FEMA as commissioner of public safety in Utah, and earlier as chief of police in St. George, Utah, he had good experiences with the agency.
“In my experience, FEMA has been nothing but a responsive, hard-working organization,” he said.
Flowers said he’s impressed with the new national FEMA director, R. David Paulison, selected after former FEMA chief Michael Brown resigned in the wake of Katrina last year.
He said one reason he was offered the job as regional chief was his experience directing security for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, which involved coordinating numerous local, state and federal agencies.
“What we found with the Olympics is you have to build really strong relationships that last through the event,” he said.
Flowers said his main goal will be to build communication with local and state officials so they know what FEMA can deliver in the wake of a disaster. He stressed that it is not FEMA’s job to take over after a disaster, but rather to assist overwhelmed local officials by providing communications and resources.
“We bring the trucks and they tell us where to park them,” Flowers said.
The agency’s response to a terrorist attack would be largely the same as for a natural disaster, he said. FEMA officials would provide short-term assistance, help fix infrastructure and communications facilities, provide temporary housing and food supplies.
Mike Soraghan can be reached at 202-662-8730 or msoraghan@denverpost.com.
