Atrios had me worried—could the guy in charge of emergency response in my region also be a total political hack? Winter's on its way with blizzards and other nasty surprises. Fortunately, though, I discovered that the regional directory of FEMA region V is Edward G. Buikema, who looks like an experienced fellow.

In September 2001, Mr. Buikema was appointed as the Regional Director of FEMA's Region V. He coordinated FEMA mitigation, preparedness, and disaster response and recovery activities in six states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Since his appointment, he has overseen the response and recovery to 22 presidential disaster and emergency declarations that have occurred in Region V. The Department of Homeland Security designated him as one of the original Principal Federal Officials in December 2003. He has been involved in leadership positions in several high profile events including the 2004 Democratic National Convention and the Top Officials series of exercises. He is co-chair of the Great Lakes Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security and Interdependence, a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Federal Executive Board, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Prior to coming to FEMA, Mr. Buikema was Director of the Emergency Management Division of the Michigan State Police. He was responsible for the administration of the state’s emergency management system and served as the State Coordinating Officer for presidential disaster declarations. He was an officer with the Michigan State Police for more than 26 years, with responsibilities ranging from law enforcement to serving as the governor’s authorized representative for nine presidential-declared disasters.

Mr. Buikema holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy.

Uh-oh. I see that Washington state, where my family and my wife's family lives, the state with a nuclear submarine base, a major faultline and history of tsunamis, and active volcanos (my mom lives on top of an ancient lahar and my in-laws live in the shadow of Mount St. Helens), is led by a hack.

John Pennington, the official in charge of federal disaster response in the Northwest, was a four-term Republican state representative who ran a mom-and-pop coffee company in Cowlitz County when then-Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn helped him get his federal post.

Before he was appointed regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Pennington got a degree from a correspondence school that government investigators later described as a "diploma mill."

I wonder if mopping up coffee spills is adequate training for coping with pyroclastic flows? Maybe if the coffee is really hot.

I think it would be a useful exercise for our media to dig into the subject of the competence of federal appointees to important positions a little more.