"The state of Florida is held up nationally as a model state for disaster planning and response, but it is clear that we have significant communication problems between FEMA and state and local governments," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz.

While FEMA had pre-positioned truckloads of ice and water in Jacksonville and other areas throughout the state, Rep. Wasserman Schultz found that for hours today no one in Broward County knew where the trucks bound for Broward were, or when they were going to arrive.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz also found frustration among emergency response officials whose hands had been tied by over-burdensome and out dated regulations.  One such incident involved federal officials attempting to acquire generators to help with the relief effort.  When asked by Rep. Wasserman Schultz why the generators had not been acquired prior to the storm, the official replied that Homeland Security funding rules had no flexibility to allow for disaster preparation.

"It is great that we are prepared for terrorist attacks, but we get hit by natural disasters regularly here," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz.  "We have decades old rules governing 21^st century disaster response."

In Davie, overturned homes, missing roofs and widespread property damage greeted Rep. Wasserman Schultz who accompanied emergency management officials on a preliminary disaster assessment.  "It looked like a bomb had gone off in each home," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz.  "The damage was so extensive that the officials tallying the damage eventually had to stop recording minor damage because they had run out of room on their forms, they had to switch to recording only moderate and extensive damage."

"What is very clear is that disaster assistance is needed and is needed immediately," said Rep. Wasserman Schultz.  "When you are bleeding the first thing that you need is a band-aid."

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