The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2022-2026 strategic plan highlights equity as one of its “ambitious goals.”
“These goals position FEMA to address the increasing range and complexity of disasters, support the diversity of communities we serve, and complement the nation’s growing expectations of the emergency management community,” the agency explained.
FEMA’s three “ambitious” goals are to “instill equity as a foundation of emergency management,” “lead whole of community in climate resilience,” and “promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation.”
According to the agency, “underserved communities, as well as specific identity groups, often suffer disproportionately from disasters.”
A “one-size-fits-all approach” cannot be used when addressing disasters, FEMA asserts, explaining that it “must be aware of, and responsive to, the needs of different individuals and communities to ensure that the benefits of FEMA programs are available.”
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion cannot be optional; they must be core components of how the agency conducts itself internally and executes its mission,” the agency adds.
After the wildfires that left over 1,100 Hawaiians missing on the island of Maui, it was learned that FEMA offered “diversity” training for employees.
This initiative asked staff members to acknowledge the claim “that systemic racism and oppression exist” and discussed topics such as white supremacy’s purported influence on American institutions and systems.
“White supremacy is an ideology, a pattern of values and beliefs that are ingrained in nearly every system and institution in the U.S.,” one section of the presentation read.
Another section named “The Uncomfortable Truth” said that the formation of the U.S. was “established and rooted in extreme, extraordinary violence.”
The course further claimed that current economic, justice, and social systems necessitate “the subjugation of certain groups.”
