Officials: Region's disaster response still lacking

The Washington region’s response during unpredictable disasters like the 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August and last week’s flash flooding is still largely chaotic, officials said Wednesday. Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments officials did note that the region withstood a predicted event — Hurricane Irene — very well. The hurricane blew through on a weekend and with plenty of notice, allowing disaster response agencies time to coordinate with local governments and send up-to-date news on the storm’s strength.

But when it comes to sudden events, the response is inconsistent.