July 2002: Think Tank Warning: Proposed FEMA-DHS Merger Will Harm Nation’s Ability to Respond to Natural Disasters

The Brookings Institution publishes a report warning that merging FEMA into the Department of Homeland Security will harm the agency’s capability to respond to natural disasters. “While a merged FEMA might become highly adept at preparing for and responding to terrorism, it would likely become less effective in performing its current mission in case of natural disasters as time, effort and attention are inevitably diverted to other tasks within the larger organization.” [Daalder et al., 7/2002 ; Independent Weekly, 9/22/2004]