Sunday, September 04, 2005
'Spelled out in numbing, acronym-filled detail': WaPo has found the fed side of the problem: DHS. ... Katrina threw a head fake, slamming farther east than anticipated and creating a false sense of crisis avoided. But not declaring a full emergency until Tuesday afternoon? ... Is there any way to dismantle DHS and start all over? ... A great article that sometimes only a capital-city paper with deep bureaucratic sources can do. ... P.S. Mickey spotted the same Washington Post article and is all over DHS.
Update -- Reader No. 1 on the Post piece:
"Very good work which makes one question whether there ever will be a 'hanging chads' argument, or more likely, the simpler explanation of what happens in complex organizations when:
"- the external environment changes (in this case from a natural disaster focus to terrorism), AND
"- the organization is significantly restructured, AND
"- there is no management continuity in place that remembers how things should be done.
"This situation can be improved by better leadership and management if it is properly understood. The ways NOT to improve it are congressional hearings (the modern-day equivalent of public beheadings) and creating more bureaucracy. Maybe we should ask that new Cabinet level Secretary of Disaster Preparedness can oversee Homeland Security.
"Or maybe we should just hire back a lot of the folks who worked at FEMA in the 80s and 90s on natural disasters, recreate that capability, and figure out how it interfaces with terrorism. (Please don't tell me I just agreed again with Professor Krugman lest I have to remind you how university bureaucracies would deal with much less serious problems.)
Hub Blog's response -- The quick WaPo analysis does indeed lessen the threat of an ideological hanging-chad outbreak. But I'm not discounting it. ...
'Preview of what it's going to be like'?: Charlie Weis is still torturing poor Dave Wannstedt. ... Notre Dame just pounded and bamboozled Pitt.
Update -- Reader No. 1 on the Post piece:
"Very good work which makes one question whether there ever will be a 'hanging chads' argument, or more likely, the simpler explanation of what happens in complex organizations when:
"- the external environment changes (in this case from a natural disaster focus to terrorism), AND
"- the organization is significantly restructured, AND
"- there is no management continuity in place that remembers how things should be done.
"This situation can be improved by better leadership and management if it is properly understood. The ways NOT to improve it are congressional hearings (the modern-day equivalent of public beheadings) and creating more bureaucracy. Maybe we should ask that new Cabinet level Secretary of Disaster Preparedness can oversee Homeland Security.
"Or maybe we should just hire back a lot of the folks who worked at FEMA in the 80s and 90s on natural disasters, recreate that capability, and figure out how it interfaces with terrorism. (Please don't tell me I just agreed again with Professor Krugman lest I have to remind you how university bureaucracies would deal with much less serious problems.)
Hub Blog's response -- The quick WaPo analysis does indeed lessen the threat of an ideological hanging-chad outbreak. But I'm not discounting it. ...
'Preview of what it's going to be like'?: Charlie Weis is still torturing poor Dave Wannstedt. ... Notre Dame just pounded and bamboozled Pitt.
