FEMA -- January 27, 2025

Locator: 48404FEMA.

From Bloomberg today:

It’s still unknown who Trump will task with running and possibly reshaping FEMA.

For now, the president has tapped Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy Seal, to temporarily lead the agency, alongside Mary Comans, who has held several key FEMA jobs. Hamilton has some emergency management experience, but he has never overseen the response to large-scale disasters like the wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles for weeks, destroying more than 15,000 structures and killing at least 28 people.

In fact, over the weekend Trump signed an executive order establishing a "Council" to be led by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to "assess FEMA." From the EO:

The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense shall serve as Co-Chairs of the Council.

So, I guess we have the one-two punch. Hamilton and Comans in charge of FEMA right now. [Does that mean that FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is "out" as the administrator? Yes.]

And Pete Hegseth and Kristi Noem to head the "council."

You know you are in trouble when a government agency's administrator's bio starts out with where the individual went to elementary school:

Criswell attended elementary school in Free Soil, Michigan and was graduated in 1984 from Catholic Central High School in Manistee, Michigan. She then earned a Bachelor of Science in technology education from Colorado State University, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver, and a Master of Arts in homeland security from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Her skill set: fighting fires as a firewoman.

Bloomberg has a long piece -- I would say it's a op-ed and not news -- about how challenging FEMA's job is and then blames much of FEMA's problem on .... climate change. Al Gore first warned us about climate change in 1994 or thereabouts ... so how much has the global temperature changed in 31 years? Fact check: 2025 - 1994 = 31 years.

And that figure assumes the US government is reliable when measuring global temperatures. But 0.2°C over 31 years and that's a significant reason why FEMA's job has been made more difficult? LOL. How about better technology, less regulation, better leadership just for starts.

Wow, this gets tedious. Climate change. 

By the way, here in Texas the weather folks give us the temperature rounded to the nearest "one degree," such as 74° or 68° or 92°. They've never given the daily temperature to the nearest tenth (98.5° or 78.3°). And even in medicine, we never gave temperatures to the nearest 100th but when it comes to global / climate warming, we're getting the degree change to the 100th degree (see above: 0.36°) -- such preciseness provides a false sense of accuracy. LOL.

So, we're back to "councils" and "commissions" and "committees" -- I hope this doesn't "foreshadow" a Biden-like administration. Hopefully Cameron Hamilton will appoint a FEMA California czar to monitor the money the US government sends to California and that it reaches the right people sooner than later. I would start with Altadena. I think Newsom will take good care of Pacific Palisades.

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Recipes

Cooking tips.

It appears the key to great cooking? Bacon. 

Link here.

A long, slow cook time — roasting, braising and leisurely poaching— is a simple way to marry contrasting ingredients. This works especially well in recipes that can be prepared ahead of time. Stored for a night or two in the refrigerator, their flavors meld and mellow together.

Classic examples are the slowly cooked pulled pork or the long-simmered pot of chili.

But long and slow simmering also works nicely with root vegetables — especially carrots, parsnips and beets. When poached in a tasty liquid, they become tender and absorb the flavors of the cooking medium. Finally, it’s always a good idea to keep a few store-bought condiments at the ready, including chili oil, curry paste, good vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, canned anchovies, olives and capers.

Tips:

• when making a soup or stew, begin by sizzling in a little pancetta, bacon or crumbled sausage with the aromatic onions and garlic before adding the remaining ingredients to bolster flavor and body
• add a splash of acid — wine, vinegar, lemon or lime juice — to soups and stews at the last minute. Start slowly, taste, then taste again
• swirl a glug of good olive oil or a few pats of butter into a soup or stew as it comes from the stove to enhance its richness
• shower shredded Parmesan or crumbled feta over pasta, soups, stews and rice dishes to enhance texture
• flavors pale in the refrigerator over time. Season dishes right after reheating, then taste and adjust and taste again
• give dishes of fish, chicken and pork an umami kick with a few chopped anchovies, capers or green or black olives
• miso, when whisked into butter, adds a mysterious, salty, rich touch. Keep it on hand to lift up vegetables, potatoes, pasta and chicken
• good quality frozen vegetables have more flavor and nutrients than their winter-weary fresh counterparts
• toast whole spices such as cumin, coriander, cardamom and fennel, then grind for the most intense taste
• a pinch of red pepper flakes kicks everything up a notch.