U.S. still lacks disaster response plan: Coast Guard
544481
The United States is better prepared  to deal with a major disaster like Hurricane Katrina, which  devastated the Gulf region in 2005, but still lacks a formal  structure for coordinating a national response, the head of the  U.S. Coast Guard said on Tuesday.
295963
Three years after Sept. 11, emergency radios aren't linked for most first responders.
432136
The nation's governors sought help Thursday from Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in their ongoing fight against proposals in Congress to give President Bush more control &#151; and governors less &#151; over the National Guard during disasters.
58579
US Coast Guard officials still have not determined what caused a Greek-owned tanker to leak 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River Friday, but did reveal Monday
100309
Three years ago, a state-appointed panel said finding ways to quickly get military helicopters and planes airborne to battle raging wildfires should be a "high priority." Yet, last week, delays launching aircraft revealed a system still suffering from communication and planning shortfalls.
105853
The U.S. weather chief called Wednesday for a global surveillance system to detect and forecast disasters like tsunamis, hoping the tragedy in Asia will build the political resolve to buy and deploy equipment.
264827
More than three years after the United States was stunned by terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, its much-vaunted homeland security is still a work in progress.
246517
More than a year after President Bush unveiled a plan for coping with a pandemic flu outbreak, the government still has limited capacity to detect a disease outbreak.
177747
The United States made modest progress on protecting its oceans last year, but still needs to boost funding for desperately needed reforms, a commission on ocean policy said Tuesday.
736707
A new report on the Coast Guard's response to a November oil spill in San Francisco Bay criticizes the agency's delay in notifying the public about the leak but said crews responded rapidly, the agency's top officer in California says.
408225
A tsunami warning system is now in place for Indian Ocean countries, but experts said Wednesday there is still room for improvement in methods to convey the alerts to coastal communities.
682877
The U.S. military's reserves and National Guard forces are not prepared to meet catastrophic threats at home and face an "appalling" shortage of forces able to respond to chemical, biological or nuclear strikes on U.S. soil, according to a congressional commission report released today.
138348
A multibillion-dollar effort to modernize the Coast Guard's fleet has suffered delays, cost increases, design flaws and, most recently, the idling of eight 123-foot patrol boats that were found to be not seaworthy after an $88 million refurbishment.
197972
The United States dispatched disaster teams Monday and prepared an initial &#36;15 million aid package to the Asian countries hit by a massive earthquake and tsunamis. U.S. officials were seeking to contact hundreds of Americans who remain unaccounted for in the region.
82160
Hundreds of Americans remain missing two days after devastating tsunamis struck Asia, but the State Department says a large number have been located and are safe. Responding to the disaster, the U.S. Agency for International Development added &#36;20 million to the already promised &#36;15 million.
656058
WASHINGTON -- States that routinely deal with hurricanes and other natural disasters are better prepared than others to handle bioterrorism, but overall the nation is struggling to develop plans for public health emergencies, according to a study released
2048
The United States remains unprepared for disasters ranging from biological attacks to a flu pandemic, and funding for preparedness is falling, according to a report released on Tuesday.