Soon we will be facing a national police force. Backed up by soldiers. Be careful, very careful what you ask for. Or one day you might get it.

Noted, and I think you are correct that this is something to be concerned about. Have you read any of the "Patriot" Act? (The name alone makes me gag) Big brother, in a big way!

Local area of San Antonio, a while back had a major train wreck, with a load of Haz-Mat chemicals on board..the responders where unable to talk to each other, people died.Funds for $ were disapproved by local flunky...he got a Truck for his area instead.This still going on NOW/ Local Police chief wanted a mobile 1st responder set-up...best our city council could come up with..needs further study $$ to see if there REALLY is a need for this..
I have my own idiots right here..no need to go to NO.
Rika

The mayor of Anytown and the governor of that state, if they are fullfilling their obligations to their constituants, will have the infrastructure in place to function in their absence. The phone call would not necessarily come from the mayor, but it would come from the next in command listed on their emergencey plan. Yes, by law, they wait for the request.

Does FEMA search for a plan? As in rifle through some ones's desk? Are you kidding? The local officials are already enacting their plan before any federal agency gets there. As the federal help arriving on the scene, you simply do what the local officials tell you to do. You fill needs they have identified, because they are far more familiar with their situation than you are.

I'm sorry Rodeo, but it looks like you have way over-blown expectations for our federal agencies, and very low expectations for local governments. It boils down to a matter of staffing and proximity; the feds simply cannot and do not staff these agencies in every locality and therefore cannot have the local knowledge and expertise required in every town.

Re: Republicans to the rescue!
 

And that is their self branding they wear with false pride.

Some people buy into that this is markings of strength and power.

Some people will always follow and support the bully, kindness is for the weak they think.

They sadden me to no end.

They should feel shame, but they do not.

This is their ultimate shame, their shamelessness.

Well, we have an honest disagreement. I think your emergency plan is deeply flawed. It rests entirely on the assumption that "local officials are already enacting their plan." If they are not, or if there is no plan, the whole response breaks down, with awful consequences.

Nor do I think that DHS/FEMA should be regulated to a role of doing whatever some Deputy Mayor tells them to. FEMA is the professional emergency manager. The locals may or may not have their act together in that regard, and they surely don't have a $6 Billion budget like FEMA.

The Governor asks for the President to declare an emergency. That triggers federal authority to act. Once declared, FEMA should be responsible. They have professionals, they have $6 Billion, and they will and should be accountable.

I guess you are right; we dissagree on the basic principle of how emergency response is planned and enacted. I do not believe FEMA, or any federal agency for that matter, can have comprehensive plans for every locale, every town, every city in the entire United States for any situation that may arrise. They do not have the manpower or funding, and I really don't think most of us would want them to.

Why not eliminate all city, county, and state government and put it all in the hands of the feds? What responsibilities should local governments retain vs. give up to the feds? What are local governments best suited to do, better qualified to carry out, and have more knowledge of than the feds? Where would we draw the line? Maybe that is all topic for debate in the aftermath of all of this.

For now, however, the infrastructure and law that we have in place requires that local governments have their emergency plans in place and take command of the situation. I think possibly part of our dissagreement is that you are stating how you would like it to be; that FEMA should have dissaster plans in place for every contingency in every locale accross the country. I'm simply pointing out that they do not, nor are they required to, today. That is what the locals are for. To meet your expectations would require a massive build-up of staff and funding beyond where FEMA is today. Even then, as has been demonstrated by every other federal agency that's tried to exert local control, they could never do as good of a job as the locals. They would simply never have the level of insight and knowledge of local conditions required to be successfull, at least not at the level of the locals. Assuming, of course, that unlike New Orleans, the locals did their job.

I think state and local governments are best suited to handle most government responsibilities. Preventing crime and punishing criminals, educating children, setting and enforcing zoning and land use laws, maintaining infrastructure, and establishing community standards, among others.

Responding to terrorist attacks and massive natural disasters is not one of the governmental functions best left locally. When a governor declares an emergency, that means local resources have been overwhelmed, and that the state need national help. At that point, the feds take over the response, and they had better be prepared to handle the job. We just saw what happens when they are not.

I do agree that the states should not give the federal government additional powers without serious thought, but disaster response is a pretty easy call for me. The to our nation are too great, and the resources necessary to do the job correctly are too large, to entrust to thousands of independent plans and planners around the country.

Hmmm.

How about this: if they [government at any level] are collecting tax to provide it, they should provide it.