There is no state or locality in this country that could sustain a storm like that and not be overwhelmed, and not need the help of the federal government in order to manage an effective response.
It comes down to leadership, and this effort is without a leader. I don't think they understand how to do this at the top level.
If you were a disaster victim, you probably never met a FEMA employee. They were all [reservists].
It was just a matter of time before something like this happened, ... You've got a system from top to bottom that's been deconstructed.
There are no emergency managers at any level in the Department of Homeland Security. It's all law enforcement, ... It doesn't look like anyone's in charge to me because the system has been deconstructed.
What, ultimately, all of us hoped was that by making this a degree program, we would start churning out and educating emergency managers who had a broader perspective, ... Just, generally, professionalize the discipline.
After Sept. 11 they got so focused on terrorism they effectively marginalized the capability of FEMA. It's no surprise that they're not capable of managing the federal government's response to this kind of disaster.
They're trying to say that greater federal authority would have made a difference, ... The reality is that the feds are the ones that screwed up in the first place. It's not about authority. It's about leadership. ... They've got all the authority already.
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