Is the DHS our Maginot Line?

The Department of Homeland Security may be our very own Maginot Line, the string of fortifications built by the French after World War I to shield against invasion from Germany.  The Maginot Line did what it was supposed to do and was never over-run, but the Germans did an end run and invaded France anyway.

Our DHS Maginot Line may (or may not) protect us against a terrorist attack.  It has proven inadequate or ill-conceived or poorly implemented to protect us against the ravages of two hurricanes, Katrina and Rita.   It is only by throwing lots of money at the problem, a tactic the Republicans used to accuse the Democrats of using, that the response to Rita had even the outward appearance of success.  That and the fact that Rita missed Houston.

How likely is it that the aftermath of a real terrorist attack, for which we will have no warning, will be any better than the aftermath of Katrina?  Or is the primary DHS responsibility to ensure the continuity of Republican rule by making sure they all get to hidey-holes?

What other threats are we not protected against?  Do the Centers for Disease Control have the resources to fight Bird Flu, or have they been cut back to be prepared to fight a terrorist biological attack?  Which is realistically the greater threat?