by Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer
The tornado that tore apart Greensburg, Kan., dramatized what could happen when a state’s National Guard equipment is thousands of miles away in Iraq. But it now seems that Kansas’ problems in rushing aid to the disaster scene weren’t as acute as Gov. Kathleen Sebelius first implied while standing in the wreckage of the small southwestern Kansas town.
“About 50 percent of our trucks are gone. Our front-loaders are gone. We’re missing Humvees that move people in and out, and we can’t borrow them from other states because their equipment is gone,” the Democratic governor told NBC’s Today Show on Monday at the scene of the tornado that killed 11.
Sebelius’ comments about missing vital equipment set off a firestorm, leading to a spat between the governor and the White House, a front-page story in the New York Times, and a press release by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who assailed President Bush for vetoing an Iraq war funding bill that included $1 billion to make up equipment shortfalls for the Army National Guard.
In the days following Sebelius’ comments, the Democratic governors of Arkansas and Maryland echoed her concern about equipment shortages.
While missing trucks might have slowed movement of equipment and troops to Greensburg by some hours, Sebelius (D) now says her biggest worries about the problem of lacking Guard equipment is a longer-term concern, particularly in case of a more widespread emergency or multiple disasters occurring at the same time.
“Let me be clear: With the equipment we have, the men and women of the Kansas National Guard have the initial response to the Greensburg tornado under control,” Sebelius said in a statement released Tuesday night.
Nonetheless, she reaffirmed that the issue she raised is a real concern: “We have a looming crisis on our hands when it comes to National Guard equipment in Iraq and our needs here at home. The equipment shortage will likely slow long-term efforts to recover and rebuild in Greensburg. We can only hope that we not have another significant natural disaster in Kansas.”
Kansas has received some outside aid: radios from Kentucky and staff help from the National Guard Bureau. From the federal government the state received a mobile command center, a mobile office building, a search-and-rescue team, and coordination of extra Black Hawk helicopters. In her statement Sebelius said she appreciated the President’s “help, quick response and concern in dealing with the tornado damage in Greensburg.” Bush visited the stricken city on Wednesday (May 9).
If a state lacks the equipment or manpower to handle a disaster on its own, it can fall back on the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which helps states request aid from other states.
