The war in Europe was raging. Adding to the tensions, Americans were seeing reports about the civilian bombing campaigns. They were worried about attacks on U.S. Cities. In a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia wrote:
“There is a need for a strong Federal Department to coordinate activities, and not only to coordinate but to initiate and get things going. Please bear in mind that up to this war and never in our history, has the civilian population been exposed to attack. The new technique of war has created the necessity for developing new techniques of civilian defense.” – Source U.S. Homeland Security
President Franklin Roosevelt responded to these growing concerns creating the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD) in 1941.
Many years ago, I was at a meeting, and heard Ouachita Parish Police Juror Adele Ransom mention the Civilian Defense. After the meeting I went to ask her about that reference. I did not say a word, I just listened. She knew all about it.
The Cold War was a big influence. There was a time when accidental missile launch was a part of your local Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The Civilian Defense transitioned to the Civil Defense. There were a number of laws passed over the years. FEMA was established in 1979 by Executive Order as a result of Three Mile Island.
The Civil Defense programs transitioned to the Office of Emergency Preparedness in the 1990s. During the 1990's the FEMA Director served as part of the President's Cabinet. Following the September 11th attacks, some fast decisions were made. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created and organizations like FEMA were folded inside DHS. Local and state programs transitioned to Homeland Security.
While a lot has changed, the basics have not. Make your plan on a blue-sky day. Build your management team. Teach your people how to prepare and mitigate their risk. Communicate with your people. Make your people part of the plan. Develop a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
So, the next time you see the latest war news from Europe, remember where you come from.
I am very proud of some of the local work going on in Northeast Louisiana.
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and local knowledge.
Tom
