Katrina report from the White House | 02.23.2006 | 08:19:51 | Views: 5221 | ID: February 23 '06: A report being released on Thursday by the White House's Domestic Security Advisor Frances Fragos Townsend has said the United States must change its response systems regarding national, natural and terrorist emergencies, the New York Times reported. In the report, Townsend "does not advocate removing the Federal Emergency Management Agency from the Department of Homeland Security, which some members of Congress have urged," but the report does "call for many other changes in how federal agencies respond to disasters, including asking the Department of Housing and Urban Developement to play a more central role in finding temporary housing for victims." The report's goal, the Times continued, will be to help redirect focus to what is necessary for the country in order to help prepare for the next national emergency, rather than dwell on the "flawed reaction to Hurricane Katrina." The Associated Press found 11 "key areas - mainly in better disaster relief coordination among federal agencies," that the 228-page report listed. Among the recommendations, the report called on the government to create a National Operations Center which would act as the brain and central coordination and response center for the country in times of crisis. With damages approaching $100 billion, the report said a greater, more organized federal response and quicker action from the White House would have helped the response and recovery in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. At the close of a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the AP quoted President Bush saying, "We will learn from the lessons of the past to better protect the American people. ... I wasn't satisfied with the federal response."
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