Comment: Perhaps the ME and others...

were part of the FEMA drill exercise. That having the paparazzi around asking questions and taking photos could be presumed (by the actors) as being all part of making things realistic. This way, the actors in various rolls believe they are there doing the right thing during an exercise and trying to be as realistic as possible not knowing what's really going on. The paparazzi don't realize that these folks are actors and are asking questions and taking photos thinking, "geeez..these officials are idiots!". In the end, both sides are unaware that they're all part of something else.
I'm reminded of the recording of the USAF air traffic controller on radio asking, "...is this real, or exercise?". The best scenerio for "them" is one in which those involved, wittingly or not, can't tell the difference between real and fake.