Gov. Perry: State and Local Officials Best In Responding to Disaster - Government Technology: "With the start of the hurricane season just two months away, Gov. Rick Perry said recent recommendations that the federal government assume primary control of disaster response is the wrong approach to take. Our firefighters, peace officers and EMS personnel are the ones who know their communities best," Perry said. "They have done the emergency training exercises in those communities and they can respond the quickest to emergencies in their communities. To put it simply, when Texans dial 911, they need the phone to be picked up by an operator who knows their community, not someone at a switchboard in Washington, DC. Perry said the federal government does have an important role in disaster response, but it is a supporting role that must center on supplying state and local leaders with the resources they need to do their job. Perry said the most important reform the federal government can enact is to provide a single point of contact during a disaster so states do not have to navigate various bureaucratic mazes to get things done."