I hope with President Bush taking the blame for the response time of the federal government, the rest of this mess in New Orleans doesn't get swept under the carpet. The Mayor and Governor have many questions to answer.
In a post, (that I pitched because of changing news) I talked about what the role of FEMA and Homeland Security is. I chucked the post because it is irrelevant now, the definition of both FEMA and Homeland Security will change after the tragedy in New Orleans. We Americans will demand it!
One thing I did pull from this post was the fact that there is a danger in any city relying only on the federal government during a disaster. What if we are hit with 2 disasters at the same time? What about 3 disasters? Natural or man-made? The federal government may be overwhelmed. Homeland Security starts at home. Think of it as a checklist. The best of the best has put together a guide for your city to follow in the event of an attack. WHAT TO DO IF TERRORISTS….. and WHAT CAN THE CITY DO NOW TO PREPARE?… type of stuff.
Much of Homeland Security is not mandatory. It is suggestions. Good suggestions! But your city doesn't have to follow these suggestions. Without getting too far into this, one good example is The Super Boat. This boat is a hunter-interceptor. Homeland Security has picked various cities that could be port-of-entry for terrorists. A terrorist could transport a dirty bomb by boat, come a shore on a secluded beach, and transport this bomb to any truck. Then the bomb could be delivered to any city in America. Coastal cities rely on The Coast Guard. Some cities have police boats, but these boats are usually not real fast. What if they are busy or cannot catch a terrorist's boat? This interceptor style boat could help the coast guard patrol the waters and look out for unexplained boaters. There isn't much out there that can out-run this Super Boat.
This boat costs $214,000 each. Completely paid for by Homeland Security. You (your city) would have to pick up the cost of managing and maintaining the boat. (about $72,000 per year.) But here is the key… Your city doesn't have to take this boat. You can pass on it.
When we talk about Homeland Security or FEMA for that matter. It is important to understand what each can do. This definition may change after the investigation of hurricane Katrina. But, in any disaster, what YOU do next matters. Do what you need to do now to make sure your city is prepared.
My.. "Continental Drift Update" stuff is my attempt at using humor to show stupidity. With hurricane forecasting so good today. We know days ahead of time what area may be hit by a hurricane. The Disaster of New Orleans should never happen again. In this day and age, no one should die from a hurricane. Homeland Security starts at home….AR…
