How has the federal emergency management system fared in post-Andrew era? When Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida in the waning days of the 1992 presidential campaign, it sent shock waves through the White House and emergency management policy subsystem that have not yet subsided. Wamsley and Schroeder analyze the causes and effects and conclude: (1) that politics of disasters are escalating and have become reliable props for the media, presidency, and political theatre at the same time that, (2) the policy subsystem is undergoing its most extensive changes since FEMA was formed, and (3) that a number of the pathologies of our political system are highlighted by the events.