Senate Votes to Overhaul FEMA

In the wake of massive criticism over FEMA’s failed response to Hurricance Katrina, the Senate Tuesday voted to overhaul the agency in hopes of staving off another emergency management debacle. The director of the new agency will now have direct access to the President, which should improve the response time and the coordination of relevant federal agencies. Additionally, the new agency will be more focused on regional response services and the coordination of federal and state actors in a crisis.