former FEMA Chief-of-Staff
FEMA Chief-of-Staff during the Clinton Administration and author of a series of books on Homeland Security and a forthcoming book on the future of emergency management and what went wrong in Katrina
PROFILE
Jane Bullock
Guest
FROM Jane Bullock
Which Way, L.A.?
Is America Ready for the Next Disaster? Around the county, disaster planners at the state level are roasting the Department of Homeland Security . Since Katrina, they say, Washington has been trying to minimize its own exposure and blame the states for not being prepared. Despite past promises, they say, the states have not been allowed to help draw up what’s called the National Response Framework .
To the Point
Is America Ready for the Next Disaster? At a hearing last week in Washington, the president of the National Association of State Emergency Planners , told Congress that, when it comes to disaster planning, he has "never experienced a more polarized environment between the states and the federal government." Oklahoma's Albert Ashwood said the legacy of Katrina for Washington is to minimize federal exposure while blaming states for not being prepared. As an example, he cited the National Response Plan , now revised as the National Response Framework--a formerly secret document leaked to Congressional Quarterly . State leaders say it's not a plan, and they don't understand it. A high-level veteran of FEMA during the Clinton years says federal agencies no longer know what they're supposed to do either. What are the implications for homeland security?
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