It was just a matter of time before something like this happened, ... You've got a system from top to bottom that's been deconstructed.

They're trying to say that greater federal authority would have made a difference, ... The reality is that the feds are the ones that screwed up in the first place. It's not about authority. It's about leadership. ... They've got all the authority already.

There are no emergency managers at any level in the Department of Homeland Security. It's all law enforcement, ... It doesn't look like anyone's in charge to me because the system has been deconstructed.

What, ultimately, all of us hoped was that by making this a degree program, we would start churning out and educating emergency managers who had a broader perspective, ... Just, generally, professionalize the discipline.

It comes down to leadership, and this effort is without a leader. I don't think they understand how to do this at the top level.

If you were a disaster victim, you probably never met a FEMA employee. They were all [reservists].