Michael D. Brown

:For other people of the same name, see Michael Brown (disambiguation).

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Michael Dewayne Brown (born November 8, 1954) was Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) until 2005, a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), generally referred to as the director or administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He was appointed in January 2003 by President George W. Bush.

Related Topics:
November 8 - 1954 - 2005 - Department of Homeland Security - Federal Emergency Management Agency - January 2003 - President - George W. Bush

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On September 12 2005, in the wake of what was widely believed to be poor handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and facing allegations that he had falsified portions of his résumé, Brown resigned, saying that it was "in the best interest of the agency and best interest of the president". http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9315184/. Earlier, he was discharged from his functions as coordinator of the federal efforts in New Orleans and Gulf Coast by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and was sent back to Washington to continue FEMA's central operations. President Bush, who had appointed Brown in 2003, initially praised him saying "you're doing a heck of a job, Brownie", but later deflected questions about the resignation, except to deny having discussed the resignation with him. At least one reliable source, The Economist, recognized the likelihood that Brown was "pushed" out by the administration rather than having resigned voluntarily. http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=4418260 The same suggestion was made by at least one member of Congress during a hearing on what went wrong during Katrina. Brown concentrated his testimony at that hearing on alleging that Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin bore most if not all the blame for the failures of the response to Katrina, and that his own only fault had been not to realize sooner the inability of Blanco and Nagin to perform their duties. This testimony drew harshly skeptical responses from some members of the Congressional panel, and by the next day was alleged by Governor Blanco to have comprised perjury under oath.

Related Topics:
September 12 - 2005 - Hurricane Katrina - Résumé - New Orleans - Gulf Coast - Michael Chertoff - The Economist - Louisiana - Kathleen Blanco - Ray Nagin

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In mid-September 2005, within a few weeks after leaving FEMA, it was reported that Brown was circulating his résumé and applying for a job with various Washington lobbying firms, although a senior member of one of those firms was reported to have said that Brown was "radioactive" and no one would touch him, at least for the time being.

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Brown is now (as of September 26, 2005) apparently working as a consultant for the Federal government, helping to determine what went wrong in the response to Hurricane Katrina. On September 27, 2005, Brown testified before the House Select Committee on Katrina Preparation and Response that he is currently paid over $140,000.00 annually by FEMA.

Related Topics:
September 26 - 2005 - Hurricane Katrina

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Brown is currently married and has two children.

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