Homeland Security Operations Center
ORG
Homeland Security Department Homeland Security Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Program Homeland Security Operations Center
The Homeland Security Department and its Federal Emergency Management Agency will continue to be the lead federal player in disaster response efforts. The Justice Department, which now shares responsibility for disaster law enforcement efforts with the Homeland Security Department, would be primarily charged with that even in less severe disasters. David Heyman, director of the Homeland Security Program, said that once the changes were in place, the Homeland Security Department would have more reliable federal partners to orchestrate its response. Frances Fragos Townsend said the White House would create a Disaster Response Group to make sure that if there are any disagreements or any bureaucracy, there's a mechanism there at the White House to break through that. A new National Operations Center that provides situational awareness for all federal agencies would also be set up, taking away some of the duties now handled by the Homeland Security Operations Center, which only opened in July 2004.