"...They need their own self sustaining capability as the military has and uses..."

Yup. But, I suspect that would require more tax dollars than the public will want to spend. Seems to me that FEMA would have to have equipment stockpiled all over the place, some rarely if ever used. Kinda like having another National Guard Armory in every city/town. Maybe the NG could just have extra stuff earmarked for FEMA? Kicking folks out of their rooms stinks...