Witt's team clearly was also successful with the sixth step, Produce Short-Term Wins, and at least to some extent the seventh, Don't Let Up--as evidenced by FEMA's successful response to hundreds of disasters, including the most costly flood and earthquake in the nation's history to that time as well as multiple serious hurricanes.

FORBES: Changing FEMA

Not surprisingly, he does not discuss the many disasters that dot the history of public intervention (the Army Corps of Engineers and flood control come to mind).

ECONOMIST: American economic intervention