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This article reports that U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Secretary Michael Chertoff called on businesses to invest in preparing their companies and employees for emergencies like the hurricanes that ripped through the Gulf Coast region this year. The department, along with the Advertising Council, announced new public service advertisements targeted at small to medium-size businesses. The "Ready" campaign for businesses was initiated last year, but Chertoff said that the department could not convince businesses to prepare for a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The Council cited a recent survey that found 92 percent of business executives believe it is very important or somewhat important" for business to invest in preparedness, but only 39 percent have done so.

This article reports that House Appropriations ranking member David Obey and Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Martin Olav Sabo are asking U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to hold off on his previous plans to reorganize the department in the wake of the agency's response to Hurricane Katrina. The secretary said he wanted to eliminate the directorate for emergency preparedness and response, which oversees the beleaguered Federal Emergency Management Agency. The lawmakers requested Chertoff postpone the reorganization indefinitely until the U.S. Congress investigates his department's response to the hurricane.

The article reports on the guidelines requested by the U.S. House legislators from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. The Lawmakers urged Chertoff to establish guidelines for a new $1 billion grant program that will help emergency responders across the nation buy interoperable radios and communications equipment.

The article informs that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff offered an impassioned argument today for keeping the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within his department. Chertoff said that removing the agency would cost billions of dollars and undo efforts made in reorganizing the government since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Chertoff told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during a hearing that removing FEMA would create a "schizophrenic" government response to disasters, where both the agency and the department would move into action in an uncoordinated fashion.

The article presents the views of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff regarding the federal government's role in handling future disasters. Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff said that the federal government has a responsibility to ensure that front-line responders have the necessary vaccines to defend against biological threats, but added that he has no intention of superseding state and local emergency responders in handling a wide range of future disasters. Chertoff cited a potential avian flu outbreak in the U.S. as one example of a nontraditional threat but also acknowledged that the government does not yet have a vaccine to fight it.

This article reports that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff attempted today to dispel the impression that he and U.S. President George W. Bush were not fully engaged in coordinating a response before Hurricane Katrina hit. In a teleconference the day before the storm hit, he said that former U.S. Federal Emergency Management Administration Director Michael Brown assured him that the agency was in the process of securing supplies and coordinating with the Defense Department. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins admonished Chertoff for relying so heavily on Brown and appointing him as the principal federal officer in charge of responding to the disaster.

The article reports that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced steps his department will take to ensure that it and especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be in a better position to deal with future natural disasters. Chertoff also said his department planned to install a more sophisticated and specialized logistics management system to better track shipments of materials and equipment and ensure they get where they need to be. Specialized reconnaissance teams will be established to relay information back to the department during natural disasters.

This article reports that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff plans to restructure the besieged Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to efficiently operate like a 21st century distribution company with the ability to track and locate supplies. Chertoff announced this summer, before hurricanes ravaged the Gulf Coast, that he would remove FEMA from underneath layers of bureaucracy and have its director report to him. Chertoff also took away the agency's preparedness responsibilities to focus solely on responding to catastrophic events. Some lawmakers and experts contend that FEMA should be returned to a stand-alone agency with a Cabinet-level director. But Chertoff said that the agency benefits from being housed under the Homeland Security Department and having access to other agencies' resources.

This article reports that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff was concerned with emerency preparedness plans in Washington. Chertoff's comments, four years after the Pentagon was hit by the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, underscored the belief that Washington remains a prime target. During an emergency, the large federal work force would face evacuation even as the government struggled to continue operations.