By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - Nearly two years after a botched response to hurricanes that devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Bush administration said on Friday it was prepared to deal with what forecasters say could be a heavy storm season.

"FEMA is going to be ready. Katrina was a wake up call," said David Paulison, head of the government's Federal Emergency Management Agency, which was roundly criticized for a slow, confused response to the crisis in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit two summers ago.

Paulison claimed the federal government has built better ties with state and local officials and will be more aggressive in pushing for evacuations before major storms hit population areas. But ultimately, Paulison warned, it is up to local and state officials to decide whether to tell people to flee.

On May 22, government forecasters said there was a 75 percent chance of an above-normal Atlantic Ocean hurricane season, which formally started on Friday. Ten hurricanes could develop, with as many as half of them becoming major "category three" strength.

Paulison and other disaster-response officials told reporters that communications systems have improved since Katrina hit in 2005 and bus companies are being contracted to move large numbers of people out of urban areas like New Orleans.

Many poor people had no way of leaving New Orleans and other urban areas when Katrina hit, stranding them in a storm and related flooding that killed more than 1,800 people, according to estimates.

Despite administration claims that it is better prepared for disasters, congressional Democrats argue President George W. Bush has not spent enough on communication systems that would allow police, fire and other rescue officials to talk to each other. They are adding money now that they control Congress.

Officials said some preparations were still in early stages. In South Carolina, for example, there was only enough money to buy emergency generator hook-ups for about one-third of the state's temporary shelters.

Paulison said that while electricity "sure is a great thing to have," shelters can still be safe without power if they are stocked with water and other supplies.

In Mississippi, officials said they were concerned about evacuating a high number of people who live in mobile homes, which are particularly vulnerable in natural disasters. They are also worried about providing basic supplies for people quickly after a storm hits.

Paulison said one of the biggest problems is people not taking the new hurricane season seriously enough.

"The piece we're missing now is personal preparedness," Paulison said, adding that people should stock enough supplies to get them through at least three days of being stranded.

"Sometimes it takes that long to get through the rubble," he said.

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