'Not Waiting' for FEMA

When it comes to disaster response, Texas has decided that it can't count on the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Houston Chronicle reports that the state is implementing a plan that assumes critical supplies such as ice and water will be provided by "big box" retailers -- including Wal-Mart and Home Depot -- not FEMA.

"If FEMA shows up, good," says Jack Colley, chief of the Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management. ''But we're not waiting."

The big retailers are being brought into the planning process on the front end, to glean their ideas about the best ways to move supplies if necessary. When disasters strike, they'll get advance notice of the state's response plans.

FEMA's reaction to the idea? That it sounds "great," according to a spokesman. Anything the state can get its hands on independently, the agency says, is one less thing FEMA has to worry about.

(Hat tip: Danger Room)