Wamp Says FEMA Should Not Be Part Of Homeland Security
FEMA and Homeland Security

USA Today - March 6, 2006

Rep. Zach Wamp said Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should not be a part of Homeland Security, saying the two have "very different missions."

He said, "Homeland Security's mission is prevention, while FEMA is a response agency when disasters strike. FEMA should be an independent, stand-alone agency."

Rep. Wamp said "bureaucrats" cannot be expected to lead FEMA effectively, and he said the agency needs to tap active and retired military personnel who are used to dealing with emergency movements of personnel and supplies.

He said, "We need to make FEMA a state-of-the-art federal agency rather than an afterthought."

In connection with Hurricane Katrina, he said there was "neglect at the local level, a lack of organization and awful response by the state, and the actions of FEMA were totally unacceptable."

The congressman, who just returned from a tour of New Orleans, also said that the rebuilt New Orleans must have a reduced footprint, though he said that is not a popular view there.

And he said the federal government has already spent $100 billion in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and that such a level of funding cannot continue. He said a bill has been introduced in Congress that would allocate a portion of offshore drilling revenues to Louisiana and Mississippi. He said that should bring in some $500 million to $1 billion a year to Louisiana.

Rep. Wamp said many sections of New Orleans "still look much like they did after the hurricane hit in October. Cars are still lying upside down and houses are shifted off their foundations." He said, "There is very little activity."

He said roads are cleared and passable, but tons and tons of debris are piled by the roads.

Rep. Wamp said he is writing a report on what he saw in New Orleans and what he thinks needs to be done.

He said he saw "more cooperation and less fingerpointing. However, we still have a long way to go."

While he said the rebuilt New Orleans needs to be smaller, he said the city's rich heritage and history and its shipping prowess need to be maintained. He said some of the oil and gas revenues may be used to move whole neighborhoods to higher terrain.

He also said barrier islands once protected New Orleans from storms, and he said those may need to be re-established.

Rep. Wamp said he went to the site where the 17th Street Levee was breached. He said it is being rebuilt, but only to its former capacity for handling a Category 3 storm. He said design and cost are being studied for rebuilding to capacity for handling a Category 5 storm.

Rep. Wamp said he heard a number of complaints against insurance companies during his visit. He said, "Insurance companies are denying people benefits, and it's really wrong. I think Congress needs to follow through with some sort of oversight of the insurance companies."

He said residents were told they would not need flood insurance and are now told they should have had it.