Gene Taylor on FEMA, Boating

Two weeks before hurricane season starts, President Barack Obama's pick to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency made his debut, stressing the importance of disaster preparedness at home. Gene Taylor: "The nation is better prepared than for Katrina, starting with communications, which were horrible. Now people have satellite phones. Katrina was a learning experience." Taylor said that Fugate's experience dealing with four hurricanes in 2004 meant that "he presumably learned" how to direct responses. "I'm hoping his time in Florida served him well. Most of the folks who went through Katrina are still with the National Guard, so I feel good about that. I think we're better prepared than we were. Thank God Michael Brown is gone. The nation is better off."

Meanwhile, on May 7 Congressmen Ron Klein (D-Fla.) and Henry Brown (R-S.C.), along with Congressional Boating Caucus Co-Chairs Candice Miller (R-Mich.) and Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), introduced House Resolution 410, designating July 1, 2009 as National Boating Day.