Polimom’s shocked – just shocked to discover the White House thinks the Katrina response was inadequate:
Townsend’s review cites failures at a half-dozen federal agencies, and singles out Homeland Security in particular for lacking fast communication with emergency responders and the public, and an inadequate system for stockpiling supplies before a disaster hits.
Nope. Nothing new there. However, this is somewhat puzzling:
The White House report also found “significant flaws” in the national response plan the Department of Homeland Security issued last year that serves as a blueprint for action the government is supposed to follow during emergencies.
And it called for establishing a National Operations Center to coordinate disaster response at all levels of government for future crises.
I’m getting all tangled up, now, in this bureaucratic snarl. If we need a “National Operations Center” (NOC) to “coordinate disaster response”, then what is it that DHS is supposed to be doing? Or would it be better to ask that question about FEMA?
Would this NOC sit at the top of the current food chain? In the middle? On the side? Would it replace something?
Just how big do you suppose this government can get, anyway? Looks like we’re gonna find out! (And this is a Republican administration????)