Content area
Full Text
The FEMA chief wants to use mobile technology to customize alerts during a disaster.
The most interesting thing people don't know about you: I kayak.
The riskiest thing you ever did: I went kayaking during a tropical storm in Florida. I was very foolish.
Your favorite vice: Coffee. Large quantities of it. My staff limits my intake when I have to do public speaking or they can't get me to shut up.
Your favorite technology: Digital cameras.
Your personal philosophy: Live in the moment. I don't worry about the past, and I can't do much about the future. All I can do is what I'm doing right now. In a disaster, that's just about the only way to maintain your sanity.
BEFORE BECOMING administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in May 2009, Craig Fugate was a customer. As director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, he oversaw the state's response to many hurricanes. Since coming to FEMA, he has responded to disasters such as the tsunami in American Samoa and the massive floods in Tennessee last year. Fugate spoke recently about the need for emergency data feeds, how social media can play a role m disaster response, and his vision of a future that includes a proactive, location-based warning system that contacts cell phone users in harm's way and provides detailed instructions on what to do.
In what ways does FEMA use IT to accomplish Its mission? We're trying to change the way we're using technology. A lot of the things we were doing are no longer relevant, particularly when we look at things like GIS. For a long time, the attitude here was, "Well, we...