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Originally Posted by pigglet
I personally don't hold the mayor as accountable as it seems some do (he seems to have been fairly vocal in expressing the needs of his city) - but I would be curious to know how much previous mayors and governors in disaster areas have had to personally head up evacuations? In previous situations, before the re-alignment of FEMA in the DHS, was their role mostly to make calls to the Feds and then following orders that the Feds passed down?
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I'm sympathetic to much of what you say, but I think it's always the primary responsibility of local government to assume the responsibility for planning and readiness, a test that New Orleans failed, as well as FEMA.
I'm no friend of the Bush administration, either. But a city that's below sea level should have comprehensive plans for evacuation, which FEMA could assist if necessary. I think all the relevant governments were not prepared, and therefore FEMA ought not to bear the brunt of the criticism.
FEMA also should not be subsumed by another government agency. It ought to be accountable only to the President.