NYC’s Ex-FEMA Chief Criticizes Slow Vaccine Rollout & Nursing Home Deaths

By Benyamin Davidsons

New York’s recently departed FEMA Chief did not skimp on criticism for the city.

Tom Von Essen, the former New York regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, gave a heated exit interview with the NY Post.  In the dialogue, he criticized the country’s late initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the slow vaccine distribution, and he went on to call New York’s nursing home death toll its “biggest failure” of the crisis.  The 76-year-old had previously served as FDNY Commissioner during the Sept. 11 attacks.  In his most recent position, he had been responsible to get medical manpower and Personal Protective equipment to New York and New Jersey as the pandemic began.

“I thought what happened in New York in March, April and May and June would provide a learning lesson for the rest of the country. But it really wasn’t,” said Von Essen.  “Did I think what happened in New York would be repeated across the country. No way! This was/is a pandemic that was destined to kill many of us but did not have to be this many and it is nowhere near done yet,” he added.

Von Essen stepped down on Dec. 21, a little earlier than his tenure would have ended.  He decided to retire in June, at his family’s insistence, after he got sick with pneumonia.  He had served in the position since October 2017, when he had been appointed by President Donald Trump to serve New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.   In all, he dedicated close to 50-years to public service.

As reported by the NY Post, in the interview, Von Essen praised FEMA officials, health care workers and first responders for an “excellent” job.  He also lauded President Trump for keeping his promise to have a vaccine before leaving office.  He didn’t have much praise for the rest of politicians.  “The politicians are nauseating. They’re malfeasant,” he said.  He criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio for the slow distribution of the vaccine—in which only a third of the doses given to NYS have been actually administered.  “The vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re all disappointed because everyone in government had so much time to prepare. But it really hasn’t happened,” he said.

Von Essen also referred to the high number of nursing home deaths in NY and NJ as their “biggest failure” during the outbreak.  “We failed the elderly. We let the elderly down,” he said.