In 1989, our great nation was struck by two devastating natural disasters; Hurricane Hugo and the San Francisco earthquake (Loma Prieta). In 1992, Hurricane Andrew hit the Florida coast causing massive damage and deaths. After these major natural disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) came under intense scrutiny for its lack of responsiveness, preparedness, and communication. When James Lee Witt took over as director of FEMA in 1993, he refocused the agency's direction toward improving disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. He was able to elevate an agency viewed negatively by most Americans to one that was focused, responsive, and much more respected. When James Lee Witt left FEMA, most people, including federal, local, and state departments, viewed FEMA as a much more improved and effective organization. Positive and effective leadership will provide positive results to improve the efficiency of an organization. James Lee Witt and the FEMA organization are a great example to support this thesis. The impact James Lee Witt has had within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) demonstrates how his effective leadership has positively influenced response and recovery efforts during national emergencies and natural disasters. These same leadership skills, characteristics and values ​​that Witt brought to his position as FEMA director can also be applied to many other public sector managers involved in emergency management. These leadership skills were critical during the Northridge Earthquake crisis, but were also helpful in increasing confidence and credibility in FEMA's existence along with increasing public value and perception. On April 5, 1993, ... half of the document. ....., Naim. "Disaster and emergency management systems in urban areas". Cities, 29 (2012): S41-S49.Royer, Jordan. “Hurricane Sandy and the Importance of Being FEMA,” Crosscut.com, Crosscut.com, Web. November 1, 2012, May 3, 2014. Sobel, Russell S., and Peter T. Leeson. “The Government Response to Hurricane Katrina: A Public Choice Analysis.” Public Choice 127.1-2 (2006): 55-73. ProQuest. Network. May 3, 2014.Thévenaz, C and SL Resodihardjo. “All the best laid plans…conditions that prevent adequate emergency response.” International Journal of Production Economics, 126.1 (2010): 7-21.Waugh, William L and Gregory Streib. “Collaboration and leadership for effective emergency management.” Public Administration Review, 66.6 (2006): 131-140. Welch, William and Leslie Phillips. "No hesitation this time; FEMA takes action: FINAL edition." USA TODAY (full text pre-1997), (1994): 06.A-06.5.