August 1999
The Director - Features
The Future of Disaster Response
Part II: The role of federal government in disaster response
After receiving Melissa Johnson-Williams' article, which is featured in the August 1999 issue of The Director, Gary Abe, deputy director, Office of Family Affairs, National Transportation Safety Board, was asked to submit a response. In The Future of Disaster Response—Part II: The role of the federal government in disaster response, Abe states that Johnson-Williams' article has factual errors and, in his opinion, did not make a convincing argument that states should not turn to the federal government in mass-fatality disasters.
Abe, who has developed federal response plans for aviation and other transportation disasters, explains how it is impossible for only one organization to respond to a mass-fatality disaster and that funeral directors play a vital role in any disaster operation.
