US National Response Plan

[Roland99]

http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRP_FullText.pdf (PDF)

pp. 42-44

Immediate Response Authority
Imminently serious conditions resulting from any civil
emergency may require immediate action to save lives,
prevent human suffering, or mitigate property damage.
When such conditions exist and time does not permit
approval from higher headquarters, local military
commanders and responsible officials from DOD
components and agencies are authorized by DOD directive
and pre-approval by the Secretary of Defense, subject to
any supplemental direction that may be provided by their
DOD component, to take necessary action to respond to
requests of civil authorities consistent with the Posse
Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C. § 1385). All such necessary
action is referred to as “Immediate Response.”


Proactive Federal Response to Catastrophic Events
The NRP establishes policies, procedures, and
mechanisms for proactive Federal response to
catastrophic events. A catastrophic event is any natural
or manmade incident, including terrorism, that results
in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or
disruption severely affecting the population,
infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale,
and/or government functions. A catastrophic event
could result in sustained national impacts over a
prolonged period of time; almost immediately exceeds
resources normally available to State, local, tribal, and
private-sector authorities in the impacted area; and
significantly interrupts governmental operations and
emergency services to such an extent that national
security could be threatened. All catastrophic events are
Incidents of National Significance.

Implementation of Proactive Federal Response Protocols
Protocols for proactive Federal response are most likely
to be implemented for catastrophic events involving
chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield
explosive weapons of mass destruction, or largemagnitude
earthquakes or other natural or technological
disasters in or near heavily populated areas.

Guiding Principles for Proactive Federal Response
Guiding principles for proactive Federal response
include the following:
■ The primary mission is to save lives; protect critical
infrastructure, property, and the environment;
contain the event; and preserve national security.
■ Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance
may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances,
suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of
catastrophic magnitude.
■ Identified Federal response resources will deploy and
begin necessary operations as required to commence
life-safety activities.
■ Notification and full coordination with States will occur,
but the coordination process must not delay or impede
the rapid deployment and use of critical resources.
States are urged to notify and coordinate with local
governments regarding a proactive Federal response.
■ State and local governments are encouraged to
conduct collaborative planning with the Federal
Government as a part of “steady-state” preparedness
for catastrophic incidents.

Implementation Mechanisms for Proactive
Federal Response to Catastrophic Events
The NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement (described in the
Catastrophic Incident Annex) addresses resource and procedural
implications of catastrophic events to ensure the rapid
and efficient delivery of resources and assets, including special
teams, equipment, and supplies that provide critical lifesaving
support and incident containment capabilities. These
assets may be so specialized or costly that they are either not
available or are in insufficient quantities in most localities.
The procedures outlined in the NRP Catastrophic
Incident Supplement are based on the following:
■ The pre-identification of Federal assets and capabilities;
■ The strategic location of pre-identified assets for
rapid deployment; and
■ The use of pre-scripted mission assignments for
Stafford Act declarations, or individual agency
authority and funding, to expedite deployment upon
notification by DHS (in accordance with procedures
established in the NRP Catastrophic Incident
Supplement) of a potential catastrophic event.
Agencies responsible for these assets will keep DHS
apprised, through the HSOC, of their ongoing status and
location until the JFO is established. Upon arrival at the
scene, Federal assets will coordinate with the Unified
Command, the SFLEO, and the JFO (or its forward
elements) when established. Demobilization processes,
including full coordination with the JFO Coordination
Group, are initiated either when the mission is
completed or when it is determined the magnitude of
the event does not warrant continued use of the asset.

That means the Federal Gov't could have waived the requirement for a State's Gov. to formally request specific assistance and send in the US military to conduct relief operations (but not engage in law enforcement). This would not have been in violation of Posse Comitatus and the Insurrection Act would not have needed to be invoked, either. The military would have been acting as no more than bodyguards and, likely, would not have encountered any resistance if they showed up in force (if you're a looter...the real looters, that is...are you going to engage the freakin' MILITARY?)

Countless lives could have been saved as well as political face for this admin.

[Roland99]

1. kick