Giuliani Calls for More Disaster Prep

Republican presidential hopeful and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani signs autographs after attending a rally in Cincinnati in this Aug. 9, 2007, file photo. Giuliani leads the field in national popularity polls, but Mitt Romney, the ex-governer of Massachusetts, has maintained an edge over him and others in some of the first states to vote. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman, File) (Tom Uhlman - Associated Press)

PEARL, Miss. -- Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani called Tuesday for less federal control and more regional training to prepare U.S. communities for terrorist attacks and other disasters.

Visiting Mississippi, portions of which were devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, Giuliani pledged to prepare every community for such a disaster. And for those caused by man, as well.

"When you're preparing for a natural disaster, you're preparing for a terrorist attack," Giuliani said as he stood before a backdrop of firefighters' helmets and coats.

To be ready, states and cities need more regional training and coordination and less federal meddling, Giuliani said.

The former New York mayor proposes to make the federal Department of Homeland Security _ created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks _ more regional. He also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is now part of the Homeland Security department, should have a regional structure instead of a central one.

"We are vulnerable in our smallest community (and) in our largest city," Giuliani said.

He praised Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour for the state's response to Hurricane Katrina. Barbour was Republican National Committee chairman during the 1990s when Giuliani was elected mayor of New York.

The two also danced around questions about whether Barbour might become Giuliani's running mate.

After touring the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Pearl, Giuliani attended a $1,000-per-ticket fundraising luncheon at the home of a supporter in Jackson.

He then spoke to about 200, including two dozen trainers from the Mississippi Fire Academy, at the Rankin County branch of Hinds Community College. Giuliani was to attend another fundraiser Tuesday night in Jackson.

Among Giuliani's proposals are:

_ Boosting local and state training and creating regional response teams like FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Teams.