Meanwhile, the head of the House subcommittee on emergency management, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., said that both short-term and long-term solutions are needed in the emergency preparedness system.
He said that while FEMA is “working hard to fill its 20 percent staffing shortfall and contract for unprecedented levels of food, water and logistical support,” those solutions “cannot entirely make up for three years of FEMA’s declining response capabilities and neglect under the Department of Homeland Security.”
Said Shuster, who was a member of the special congressional committee that investigated the problems arising with the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, “DHS and FEMA will have to rely heavily–more than usual–on Department of Defense capabilities and state governments to compensate for these shortcomings. This reiterates the necessity of not only strengthening FEMA, not only improving FEMA’s communications, but also implementing comprehensive, long-term reform that keeps our emergency management resources connected to the White House and outside of DHS.”
Shuster is among the congressional proponents of splitting FEMA off from DHS.
