"I hate to tell you this but Alicia was a hurricane, and while it was big at the time, it was minimal by Katrina standards."
Fine. What about Charley? A Cat. 4. 150 MPH winds, slightly higher than Katrina. FEMA was issuing checks within 4 days.
"THIS IS NOT ABOUT A HURRICANE."
This is about a hurricane, are you daft? Mississippi officials are estimating at least a thousand dead. There are lots of people who haven't gotten any aid at all, ask Trent Lott. Areas outside of New Orleans are the same. Yes, the largest disaster is in New Orleans. But it isn't all of it.
The same lack of response to New Orleans is seen all through the affected areas. The 'M' in FEMA stands for management, something they aren't doing. The Department of Homeland Security is charged, as its primary responsibilty, is to take primary responsibility for disasters, both natural and manmade. And the military can dive in at any time and offer aid once a president declares a disaster.
RESPONSE FOLLOWING A PRESIDENTIAL DECLARATION
When the severity of a situation exceeds local and state capabilities, the governor can request that the President declare a disaster, leading to the commitment of federal resources. At that time, the FEMA takes the lead in coordinating federal assistance. The FEMA coordinates the federal government's response to state and local authorities for disasters and civil emergencies under the authority and provisions of The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. While the FEMA is the lead federal agency in most disasters, the DOE has the lead for civil radiological emergencies, and the EPA and the USCG share responsibility for chemical contaminations.
Regardless of the disaster scenario, DOD can expect to support the lead federal agency. The SA will issue an Execute Order, coordinated with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Joint Staff, through the DOMS to the appropriate CINCs, services, and agencies. The Execute Order will designate a supported CINC and specify the supporting CINCs, services, and agencies as well as the command relationships. The Army has designated CINCFOR as the DOD operating agent and the supported CINC for CONUS disaster assistance operations. CINCLANT and CINCPAC are operating agents and supported CINCs for US states, territories, and possessions within their respective areas of operations.
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