Who is Deanne Criswell, Biden’s FEMA boss?

As Louisiana and the Gulf Coast braced for Hurricane Ida, set to make landfall on Sunday potentially as a Category 4 storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was expected to play a key role in disaster relief. 

Criswell, formerly the commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department, was confirmed by the Senate as FEMA administrator in April and is the first woman to head the agency.  During her two years in New York, Criswell helped managed the city's response to the coronavirus pandemic, large fires, excessive heat and blackouts – along with events like the New York City Marathon, according to her biography on FEMA’s website.  A report recently released by City Comptroller Scott Stringer claimed the city’s response to the pandemic was outdated and lacked critical supplies like N95 masks for health care workers, according to The City newspaper in New York.