Homeland Security Today this morning announced that former Federal Emergency Management Administrator Brock Long has joined the Editorial Board and will pen a monthly column. Long served as FEMA Administrator from June 2017-March 2019, overseeing three of the nation’s most devastating hurricanes and five of the worst wildfires ever experienced.
“Given the increasing role of FEMA in our nation’s homeland security response we are thrilled to have former Administrator Long join us to share his observations on our nation’s challenges and certainly our response. His experience at both state and federal levels will be an invaluable addition to our prestigious Board,” said Executive Editor of Homeland Security Today Kristina Tanasichuk.
Prior to FEMA, Long was an emergency management official in Georgia, where he served as the Statewide Planner/School Safety Coordinator for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. He also worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency as Hurricane Program Manager.
“I am honored to join the Editorial Board of Homeland Security Today at such a pivotal time in our nation’s history, particularly for the professional emergency management community,” said Executive Chairman of Hagerty Consulting Brock Long. “Reality is complex incidents are no longer outliers and will only become more common in the face of our nation’s evolving risk and aging infrastructure. In the field of emergency management, it is important to put politics aside, come together, identify why disasters are getting worse, and work toward real solutions because people’s lives depend on it. I look forward to the opportunity to share my perspective on these important issues in a manner that promotes our collective resilience before, during, and after disasters.”
Long’s column will feature timely discussions on important topics including federal disaster funding, current challenges, suggested policy changes, and more. To receive his new column directly in your inbox you can subscribe to HSToday’s weekly First Responder & Emergency Management newsletter or visit our Emergency Preparedness or Leadership/Management categories.
About Brock Long
Brock Long is the former Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Confirmed in June 2017 by the U.S. Senate with strong bipartisan support (95-4), Brock served as the nation’s principal advisor to the president responsible for coordinating the entire array of federal government resources down through 50 states, 573 tribal governments, and 16 island territories to assist them with executing disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Brock is the 10th Administrator and the youngest to hold the office. While serving as Administrator, Brock coordinated the federal government’s response to over 144 presidentially declared disasters and 112 wildfires, including three of the nation’s most devastating hurricanes and five of the worst wildfires ever experienced. During this time, nearly $44 billion of disaster activity occurred under the various federal recovery programs.
As the FEMA Administrator, Brock led major initiatives that will have long-lasting impacts on the emergency management community. He rapidly transformed the agency’s business enterprise by implementing innovative Community Lifeline and FEMA Integration Team concepts to strengthen public-private partnerships and permanently embed full-time staff within the offices of state and tribal governments to better meet constituent needs. Further, as the result of his effective advocacy and eight influential congressional testimonies, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) became law in October 2018, making pre-disaster mitigation a national priority with the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. The DRRA also provided meaningful changes to the FEMA workforce and bolstered state and local emergency management capabilities.
From 2008-2011, Brock served as Director of Alabama’s Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) under Governor Bob Riley. As Director, he served as the State Coordinating Officer for 14 disasters, including eight presidentially declared events. Brock also served as an on-scene State Incident Commander for the Alabama Unified Command during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
