In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort.

Giulliani’s city wasn’t wiped out, and he had enormous federal resources at his disposal almost immediately. Nagin didn’t have that luxury. He and Blanco could both have done much better, but the administration has been grossly incompetent.

It’s very possible you’ll get your wish regarding your president, given his attention span. I doubt that’ll be a good thing.

Page 22, Section II: Authorities, Section A

3. No direct Federal assistance is authorized prior to a Presidential declaration. However, DHS can use limited predeclaration authorities to move Initial Response Resources (IRR) (critical goods typically needed in the immediate aftermath of a disaster (e.g., food, water, emergency generators) and emergency teams closer to potentially affected areas. DHS also can activate essential command and control structures to lessen or avert the effects of a disaster and to improve the timeliness of disaster operations. Additionally, when an incident poses a threat to life and property that cannot be effectively dealt with by the State or local governments, DHS may request the Department of Defense (DOD) to use its resources prior to a declaration to perform any emergency work “essential for the preservation of life and property” under the Stafford Act.”

State and local governments didn’t realize the extent of the disaster (although they should have foreseen it, because there were articles in this LA newspaper this year about it) and prepared for it by requesting troops on hand ahead of time (before the hurricane hit).

Stop piling on the President, making it a race issue, or using it as an excuse to criticize foreign policies.

Nobody has mentioned the LA governer’s name, and they are the point man for disasters, because the President should be overseeing events in four states that were hit (as well as handling a national economic and fuel crisis).

And incidentally, this Mayor Nagin is no Guilliani. He is not wise, nor is he stable. Guilliana kept his head after his state was hit hard. Nagin just rails about drug problems.

Stop whining and expecting the President to come and wipe your butts. Man up, evaluate the extent of the emergency, get fast response survey teams out to evaluate both survivor needs and loss of resource, and request what you need from the government (in actual terms, not ‘we need ALL the Greyhound busses in America’).

I don’t want my President focussing on this issue for long. I want the governer of LA doing that. I want my President running all 50 states. Not just one.