“Your emailer wrote that ‘FEMA is not and never was intended to be a first responder. It has only a couple of thousand employees and most are paper pushers. FEMA’s main job is not to prevent disasters in the making but rather to come in after a disaster and coordinate relief efforts (i.e., dispense pork, er, excuse me, “relief funds” to various groups) and make bureaucratic reports to Congress.’ According to FEMA’s website, your guy is dead wrong. This is the mission statement for FEMA:
“On March 1, 2003, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FEMA’s continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.”
Note the part about them training first responders and proactive mitigation. That’s a bit more than pushing paper and coming in after the fact. I’m just saying…”
The Dish 