Can the nation effectively prepare, respond, and recover, regardless of the threat and actual event?

As you have no doubt seen from the discussion thus far regarding the coordination of resources for securing the U.S. homeland, the coordination of the necessary efforts is a complicated, involved, and often overlapping effort. This is true between communities, between states, and between the states and the federal government, and has the same characteristics whether the emergency is a natural disaster or terrorism. The delivery and coordination of preparedness efforts, incident response, and disaster relief are extremely difficult administrative functions; however, coordination is absolutely essential. We need only look to Hurricane Katrina, and now Ada, for numerous examples of what can happen when these efforts break down or are otherwise ineffective.
Can the nation effectively prepare, respond, and recover, regardless of the threat and actual event?
If so, what is the best strategy for making such preparations?
How should we go about setting priorities for both preparation as well as response?
Is the “all hazards” approach to securing the homeland a practical and reasonable use of limited state and national resources?
Is cost a significant factor in determining whether an “all hazards” approach is OK?

Papers should be in APA style (preferred), or at least conforming to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, and be in Microsoft Word format. APA format is encouraged, as Criminal Justice is considered a Social Science; papers in correctAmerican Psychological Association (APA) style will receive a bonus of 1 to five (5) points, depending upon the degree of correctness of the APA style. Both are current, excellent writing resources. Papers should be four to six pages (six, maximum), should be in the style of a documented essay, and your argument in favor of a particular position(s) should, ideally, be supported by a minimum of two sources; preferably three.