By SAM HANANEL

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- The head of the Kansas National Guard told Senate lawmakers Thursday he is pleased with the federal response since a devastating tornado struck Greensburg last year, but he also said there is room for improvement.

Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting praised Federal Emergency Management Agency officials for moving quickly to build temporary shelters, install communications systems and help remove tons of debris.

But Bunting said there has been some confusion and inconsistency in how the agency processes disaster payments. That has caused a delay in starting some reconstruction projects, such as work on the new county courthouse.

He blamed the problem on excessive staff turnover in FEMA's Public Assistance program.

"I think things have gotten better, but there still is a challenge of lengthy debates about who's going to pay for what," Bunting told the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee on disaster recovery. "As such, the net result is work doesn't get done."

The Senate panel is reviewing FEMA's performance because of the confusion that followed Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., the subcommittee chairwoman, said she wants FEMA to create a system where the first person who oversees a disaster program stays until the case is resolved.

"Otherwise, it just becomes a rotating case," Landrieu said.

Recovery efforts in Greensburg also were hampered because local officials weren't told about the existence of certain federal programs, Bunting said. That lack of knowledge delayed the start of a business incubator.

Bunting recommended federal agencies with a role in recovery, such as the Departments of Commerce, Labor and Agriculture, be located in the same FEMA joint field office to offer guidance to state and local leaders.

Landrieu said she wanted the hearing to highlight the need to "redesign and retool" response and recovery efforts for all types of disasters.

FEMA's deputy administrator, Vice Adm. Harvey Johnson, told the committee his agency is better equipped to respond to disasters since the problems of Katrina. The agency is more agile, responsive and proactive with state officials, he said, and better able to assess the immediate effect of a disaster.

"I think we're on the right road, but it's a road that's going to take awhile to achieve the successes I think we're looking for," Harvey said.

Landrieu plans to introduce legislation to create a third "catastrophe declaration" that would allow FEMA to respond more effectively to future disasters on the level of Hurricane Katrina, which left much of New Orleans under water and tens of thousands homeless.

President Bush has declared 169 major disasters and more than 250 federal emergencies and fire emergencies since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Louisiana coast in 2005.

Kansas has had five major disaster declarations during the past 18 months, and Bunting applauded FEMA's regional office for working closely with state and local officials to provide quick assistance.

Bunting called FEMA's long-term recovery team "a great success" at helping Greensburg carry out an ambitious plan to rebuild the city in an environmentally friendly way.

About 95 percent of homes and businesses in Greensburg were destroyed May 4, 2007, after a powerful tornado estimated to be 2 miles wide struck the city and surrounding area.