You broke your toy and now it doesn't work.

Successful emergency management relies upon experience and expertise.

As long as FEMA is under DHS, problems are likely to continue. I'm told that at least three state emergency officials have turned down the job of FEMA Director because it is under the Department of Homeland Security. Everyone says FEMA needs a top-quality director, but how do we get one when the top candidates won't take the job?

Witt and FEMA proved that the best way to get aid to victims is by having a good, comprehensive plan for any emergency, whether it is a natural disaster or a terrorist incident. When terrorists bombed the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, FEMA had search and rescue teams on the way within two hours. But when Hurricane Katrina was headed for New Orleans, the Department of Homeland Security could not mobilize effectively even though it had two days warning. It is obvious which system works better.

We're kind of at a tipping point.

Sometimes you see that place dimly, and you work on whatever you're working on to see it better. I really can just go running around in it when Mike and I are playing.