"Scott Fraser" wrote in message
ups.com...
Having been through a couple disasters in the eighties, I can say
that the
FEMA folks at the time were almost totally incompetent at getting
anything
out into the field. FEMA was basically designed as a civil defense
organization to provide support in the field after a nuclear war, and
it
never really made the transition well to the post-cold-war world. It
seems
like the FEMA folks in general seem to share a real culture of secrecy,

and that's extremely bad in an emergency response situation. Although,

I can see where it might be a very good thing for FEMA's original
mission.
--scott

My FEMA experience is quite different. During the El Nino storms of
1999 my control room was flooded. LA County was declared a federal
disaster area, which brought FEMA into the picture. Somebody advised me
to check with FEMA, which promptly sent out an inspector, who
determined that (A) I had in fact suffered damage as a result of storm
flooding, & (B) I could not operate my business until repairs were
made. FEMA had contracted a large number of local building contractors
to do the field work & the guy who inspected my studio was a true pro,
knew exactly what was needed to fix the problem & was truly pleasant to
deal with. I was quickly approved for 2 low interest loans; one to
cover a drainage & sump pump system, & one to cover lost business while
making repairs. The loans allowed me to gut, expand & rebuild the
studio. So, in my case, FEMA did exactly what citizens pay part of
their taxes for. It allowed me to recover my business after a natural
disaster. This was, obviously, pre-Bush era FEMA, & it was an entirely
positive experience, marked by competence, expedience &
professionalism. Sometimes government CAN get it right, though
certainly not under the current administration.

A good experience for sure. It is worth remembering that FEMA did run well
under Bush.. My brother, who lives in Pensacola Florida has a stash of cash
and a new roof to prove it. It was Katrina that threw them for a loop and
while it was the nastiest in a long long time.. The new position of FEMA
under Homeland Security, (done by the Congress.. not Bush) was a detriment.