We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:53:46 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Senate panel recommends the elimination of FEMA. WASHINGTON - Hurricane Katrina's latest fatality should be FEMA, the nation's disaster response agency, a Senate inquiry concluded in calling for a government overhaul to avoid future failures like those the devastating storm exposed. Okay. Hey, I'm all for reducing non-functional organs of the Federal government (though I don't happen to think tossing FEMA is a rational solution). I have some perspective in this arena. My last job on active duty as a Military Support to Civil Authority (now DSCA, or Defense etc.) planner at 5th Army (now ARNORTH) in San Antonio. We... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html Thu, 27 Apr 2006 16:26:12 -0600 I worked too many contracts at military posts to fall for their 'new management' BS. I moved around enough I never got to participate in one of the fire drills but I worked with a lot of people who were wearing 'XXX' IDs on Friday and 'YYY' IDs on Monday because Y was brought in due to the poor job X was doing. Although it occasionally did do some good - some of those regime changes came with raises (although once again I'll note that I never took part in one). http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44535 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44535 Fri, 28 Apr 2006 13:47:35 -0600 bassid. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44507 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44507 Fri, 28 Apr 2006 07:21:12 -0600 Snerk! AFSis - I did the same thing, but I could edit... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44503 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44503 Fri, 28 Apr 2006 06:37:36 -0600 AFSis, it ain't the meds. Western Civilization really is about to fall down about our ears, I do believe. Multiplication of alphabet bureaucrat agencies is not gonna slow the decline. This is one of the reasons why I have not yet quit drinking. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44499 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44499 Fri, 28 Apr 2006 01:54:30 -0600 shite. A perfectly good rant, ruined by using the acronym HLS for Homeland Security, instead of DHS. *groan* It's the meds, I swear. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44490 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44490 Thu, 27 Apr 2006 21:40:42 -0600 Bush messed up FEMA when he appointed Brown, a business associate, with no disaster response experience. FEMA is not an organization that can be effective under the leadership of someone who does not understand massive disaster response plans or the lack of them. That was Mistake Number One. Mistake Number Two: Leading the American public to believe that the Federal government (read: FEMA, the President, and the military) are First Responders. That is, and always will be, bullshit. EVERY disaster plan across the States *requires*, and I mean REQUIRES, the local municipality (NOT the State, but the LOCAL municipality) to be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours following a major disaster. Now we do get advanced warning about things like hurricanes, so we (read: the military, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptists) pre-position resources close to the expected disaster area in addition to running evac shelters. However, the local government is still required to conduct ALL immediate first responder actions and prepare damage assessment reports. These reports help the local government request assistance from the state government, who can then request federal assistance. The reports are vital, because without them we (read: FEMA, the military, Red Cross, Southern Baptists, Salvation Army) have NO idea where the help is needed, or what kind of help is needed. It doesn't do any good to send supplies and manpower to areas we don't know enough about. In order to avoid wasting resources, we rely heavily upon the information garnered from the initial damage assessment reports. The general public is NEVER exposed to this knowledge. They have NO idea what it takes to run a small or large disaster. In this era of the liberal ideology of "what does the government owe me", the expectation that the government will ride in on a white horse during hour 1 is rampant. Rampant and ignorant, all at the same time. Disbanding FEMA, or further absorbing it into HLS will cripple our disaster response plan. I hope to GOD someone can talk some sense into these people and make sure they ignore this bandaid idea. Fix the upper management structure, and you will fix the problem. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44488 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/04/feh_national_preparedness_and_response_authority.html#comment-44488 Thu, 27 Apr 2006 21:34:49 -0600