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Response to War on Error
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it's appealing to large numbers of our citizens and media pundits to accuse the Federal government for slow or no response. The same group blames the Feds for contributing to the destruction by failing in a perceived duty of the Feds to serve as first responders. News flash to this ill informed group - the Federal government is not a first responder, it is a last responder. Through the wisdom of our forefathers, and their construct of protections in our constitution, it is a slow and deliberate process to federalize response to an emergency or disaster. Simply put - do not expect any help from Feds for a minimum of 48 to 72 hours after onset of a disaster. The primary responsibility for first response to a disaster is, and will continue to be, in the hands of municipal governments and state governments. After all the flood waters are drained, the bodies buried, the homes and businesses rebuilt and the investigations to assign fault are completed, this simple truth will remain - it's the Governors and Mayors that bear the most responsibility to plan for a disaster and to coordinate immediate response in case of a disaster. This is not to say that the Federal government does not have a role. Only the Federal government can fund the estimated 200 billion dollars needed to rebuild ravaged gulf communities. And don't kid yourselves regarding the scope of the disaster. Whatever the initial estimates of damages and repair costs, a general rule of thumb is to double the estimate for actual costs. So, eventually these costs will be distributed nation wide at a cost of over $1,000 for every man, woman and child in our country. This is probably the most legitimate task for the Federal government to serve - that is to make sure every American shares the pain in response to a regional disaster. The one task any thinking American does not want the Federal government to perform is first responder to a natural disaster. By now, I hope some readers are beginning to think - then why do we have a National Guard? Why do we have a military? Is it not the highest calling of our military to respond to a natural disaster and protect our fellow citizens? Well, be careful what you wish for. "National Guard" is a misnomer. The Guard is in reality a State Guard which is under the command and direction of the State Governor. A Governor, with some differences state to state based on individual state constitutions, can deploy the Guard for emergency response including rendering aid, restoring the peace or protecting people and properties. If a Governor wishes to request Federal assistance, he or she needs to submit a request to the President to federalize the response. Once the request is made from a Governor to the President for Federal assistance, the President in turn issues an order to the US Attorney General to conduct an investigation and issue a legal decision finding that the request for Federal response is indeed warranted and legitimate. Only at that time is the President authorized to declare a Federal emergency and federalize the troops. That means the Guard and Reserve troops can now be deployed in response. This federalization process is deliberately constructed to take some time - to stall the ability of the President to declare a disaster unilaterally. Not enough action you say? Why not simply use active duty troops? After all, we have Special Forces that can scramble and respond within hours throughout the continental US. In response, ask yourself this question. Do you really want a Federal government that is empowered and authorized to deploy armed active duty troops on short notice to a state without the consent of a Governor? Deployment of active duty troops within our country requires a Presidential declaration of martial law. Do you really want to live under a government that casually allows declaration of martial law without checks and balances? This is not intended to be a diatribe against our current President, nor any President past or future. I don't care what the political persuasion of a President; I simply do not want that kind of power residing in any one person, without checks and balances. So what to do? How do thinking, caring, responsible citizens make any sense of the Katrina disaster and learn from it? First and foremost, have a personal disaster plan and be prepared to help yourself and your family for at least 72 hours, with no outside assistance. You are not going to die in 72 hours from lack of food. You will become dehydrated and may die from lack of water...so foremost on your list is some water stockpiled. Remember to have extra prescription meds on hand. Always keep some basic hand tools, a basic first aid kit available. There are numerous books published and websites dedicated to emergency supplies and planning. Do your homework and go shopping. Second, become more knowledgeable and demanding of you local governments and local institutions. Do you know whether your town or city has an emergency response plan? It is updated annually? What about the school your little darlings trudge to every weekday? Your kids spend 40 or more hours per week at their school. Have you asked school officials about their emergency plans? Before we all decide to tar and feather every FEMA official in sight, (not to imply that tarring and feathering our public officials is not a cherished American tradition), ask the following: - Why was the New Orleans school bus fleet left to sit underwater when the flooding started? (Yellow school buses make nifty emergency evacuation transport) - Why didn’t local officials issue a directive to use municipals buses as a free emergency evacuation transport, especially to transport the poor and elderly? - What happened to local New Orleans Police? Having one third of a police force abandon their posts during the greatest civic crisis imaginable is not a JFK Profile in Courage. - What kind of dysfunctional city leadership contributed to these failures? - Why have numerous New Orleans and LA flood control officials been relived of their duties in recent months due to allegations of corruption? - Why did the Governor of LA hesitate in authorizing federalization of the crisis? Start the response clock running Monday after the hurricane and federal support would have begun streaming in by Wednesday and Thursday. - Every hour the Governor and local officials hesitated was another hour lost to saving lives. - Why didn't local officials set up a clear command and communication center BEFORE the ongoing storm? Humor me - you’re the Mayor and Governor staring straight into the face of a category 5 hurricane. Maybe, just maybe, you respond proactively instead of reactively. Maybe you anticipate that, in case of severe damage or flooding, you have a command center established and are ready to quickly request federal assistance. Most important - the Governor & Mayor be prepared to set aside their pride and any political, factional differences with the current party in office and ask for help. In summary, don't blame the Feds. Pogo had it right. We the people have met the enemy, and it is us... (Submitted modestly by an official of a small City Public Works Department and military reservist with 12 years experience in natural disaster response planning and contingency ops experience) Update: looking forward to any thoughts or comments...
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