Former Alabama EMA Director Confirmed as New FEMA Administrator

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate Confirmed former Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long as the new Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator on Tuesday, making him the latest of many people with Alabama connections to serve in the Trump Administration.

FEMA is tasked with coordinating responses to disasters that occur within the United States that are too overwhelming for state and local resources to handle on their own. In the last fiscal year, the agency’s budget was $13.9 billion.

Originally from North Carolina, Long came to Alabama in 2008 to serve as Gov. Bob Riley’s (R-Ala.) EMA Director. Among his chief accomplishments were developing the state’s response to H1N1 Influenza and serving as State Incident Commander for the Alabama Unified Command during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Long worked for a private emergency management consulting company before he was tapped by the president for FEMA on April 28. He previously served as Statewide Planner and School Safety Coordinator for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and as FEMA’s Hurricane Program Manager.

“The combination of his work for FEMA, state emergency management, and the private sector makes Brock Long well suited for this nomination by the president. Because of his experience, Brock understands it is the work done before a storm that saves lives,” Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said on Monday.

The final floor vote in favor of Long’s confirmation was 95-4. The only no votes came from liberal Democrats Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.).

Trump has taken to placing top Alabama power players into key positions in his administration. Among those with Alabama ties to receive federal positions since the inauguration are Jeff Sessions (Attorney General), Stephen Miller (Senior Advisor for Policy), Stephen Boyd (Assitant Attorney General), Cliff Sims (Director of White House Message Strategy), Spencer Bachus (Export-Import Bank Bank Board), and Kevin Newsom (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit).