Integrating vital information for disaster preparedness and recovery with touching tales of compassion, Robert Winter, a twenty five year veteran FEMA inspector, three-time world karate champion, and bodyguard to the stars, tells many stories, ranging from tragedy to hilarity from his time working as a contract FEMA inspector (CFI). In this, the first of two books, the author provides first-hand insight into the dealings of the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 1989 through 1996 from the viewpoint of a contracted inspector. He provides tips for preparing for a disaster and working with FEMA to get as much assistance as quickly as possible, well organized lists of what to expect from a FEMA inspector, red flags to watch out for, as well as important practical information regarding disaster insurance and recovery. Not just a how-to book, though info-packed, Real FEMA Disaster Stories is an entertaining look at a big man with big personality. He takes the reader on a journey from his roots in suburban California to the deep south, the big urban cities, and the jungles of American Samoa... through disaster and impoverishment, and reveals his growth as a humanitarian. Robert Winter provides a very human face for FEMA.
About the Author: Author Robert Winter studied psychology in college and owned his own construction firm with a General B-1 license in California before spending 25 years as a contract FEMA inspector and three years as a certified building inspector. In 1989, when he set out on his first disaster, his life became a "living adventure." This era of his life changed him to his core. Within one year of beginning the work and telling friends and relatives his experiences, he began to repeatedly hear, "Robert, you MUST write a book!" Because he had focused so much time and energy helping victims of the devastation and destruction that only Mother Earth herself could inflict, it is only now-more than twenty years later-that he actually sat down to write that book. Some people are just born to protect others-Robert Winter is one of them. Whether it's "A-list" celebrities in the midst of Los Angeles and Las Vegas crowds or "everyday people" trying to recover from the horrors and destruction of a natural disaster, "Frecks" is the man for the job. As a world karate champion, and 3rd degree balck black, he teaches rape prevention techniques to women; he has traveled the country working as a bodyguard to a single American flag that was part of one of the most famous incidents in professional baseball history. Of course, a lot of people might think Robert needs to be protected from himself instead of the other way around. He is a daredevil and confirmed adrenaline junky who happily dives for abalone amongst great white sharks, bungee jumps, waterskis and he's even spent half of a year living in Antarctica, where he went diving beneath the polar ice! He received the Antarctica Service Medal by the National Science Foundation, and the Antarctica Service Medal by Department of the Navy, for his contributions to the exploration of Antarctica. Adventurer, friend to many, protector of all he meets, Robert chose the words "Help, Hope, and Comfort" as his business motto, but they are also the words that best describe his life's work and the goals of his very first book. Today, he always has two bags packed and is always prepared to fly into a disaster zone.