Under cloud, FEMA chief steps down

WASHINGTON — Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, resigned Wednesday after a two-year tenure in which he managed the response to historic wildfires and major hurricanes but was dogged by questions over his use of government vehicles.

In a letter to FEMA employees, Long said that he was resigning to spend more time at home with his family. His last day is March 8. His deputy, Pete Gaynor, will become acting head of the agency.

Long did not mention the investigation by the agency’s watchdog that found he had used government vehicles without authorization, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said last fall that Long would repay the government and would not lose his job.

A report by the department’s Office of Inspector General found Long used government vehicles for nonofficial reasons. It said this cost taxpayers $94,000 in staff salaries, $55,000 in travel expenses and $2,000 in vehicle maintenance.

Long said he accepted full responsibility for the unauthorized use of the vehicles.

He took over FEMA in June 2017, presiding over a hurricane season that included Irma, Harvey and Maria, plus wildfires in California. The response to Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico, has been heavily criticized, and Long has said FEMA learned lessons on how to better prepare.