The Associated Press reports the Bush administration has declared Hurricane Rita a national emergency days before its expected landfall in Texas:
The Homeland Security Department declared Rita an "incident of national significance" late Wednesday, officially releasing a quick and massive federal response to the destruction now expected to exceed state and local capabilities. The storm was expected to strike the Texas coast by early Saturday.
Such a federal designation for Katrina was not triggered until a day after that storm hit three weeks ago.
Even before the declaration, the government was rushing hospital beds, rescue teams and evacuation buses to Texas to prepare for Rita on Wednesday President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana and Texas:
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and to provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.
[. . .]
FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
While focusing on the preparations for Hurricane Rita, don't forget all those still in need of help because of Hurricane Katrina. Please give to your preferred charity or one of these.
Tags: Rita, Katrina, missing persons, Missing Persons Board, Natural Disasters, Alabama, Florida, Jacksonville, Louisiana, Miami, Mississippi, New Orleans, Texas, flood aid, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita
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