Executive Order 12148 - Definition and Overview

Summary

Executive Order 12148 was an Executive Order enacted by President James Earl Carter on July 20, 1979 to establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. The Order combined several federal agencies tasked with Emergency Preparedness and Civil Defense spread across the Executive Departments into a single unified entity that was originally intended to be a stand-alone agency, free of Cabinet-Level interference, with authority as the Lead Federal Agency in a presidentially declared disaster. Though the agency's place within the governmental structure was eventually changed on March 1, 2003, when FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate.

External Links to Order's Text

FEMA Library Article- Executive Order 12148 (http://www.fema.gov/library/eo12148.shtm)

National Archives Entry for Executive Order 12148 (http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/codification/executive_order/12148.html)