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National Disaster Response: FEMA Should Take Action to Improve Capacity and Coordination between Government and Voluntary Sectors
Title: National Disaster Response: FEMA Should Take Action to Improve Capacity and Coordination between Government and Voluntary Sectors
Date: February 27, 2008
Author: N/A
Institution: Government Accountability Organization
Bibliographic Entry: “National Disaster Response: FEMA Should Take Action to Improve Capacity and Coordination between Government and Voluntary Sectors.” Government Accountability Office. February 27, 2008.
Electronic Link: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08369.pdf
Key Words:
interagency relations, emergency response plans, emergency response personnel, emergency preparedness programs, disaster relief aid, disaster recovery plans, disaster planning, aid for the disabled, National Response Plan
Summary of Key Points, Issues, Conclusions:
“Using lessons from the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes, the federal government released the National Response Framework (NRF) in January 2008. This report examines (1) why the primary role for mass care in the NRF shifted from the Red Cross to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and potential issues with implementation, (2) whether National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD)--an umbrella organization of 49 voluntary agencies--is equipped to fulfill its NRF role, (3) the extent to which FEMA has addressed issues with mass care for the disabled since the hurricanes, (4) the extent to which major voluntary agencies have prepared to better serve the disabled since the hurricanes, and (5) the extent to which FEMA has addressed issues voluntary agencies faced in receiving Public Assistance reimbursement. To analyze these issues, GAO reviewed the NRF and other documents, and interviewed officials from FEMA, voluntary agencies, and state and local governments.
FEMA and the Red Cross agreed that FEMA should be the primary agency for mass care in the NRF because the primary agency should be able to direct federal agencies' resources to meet mass care needs, which the Red Cross cannot do. FEMA has begun taking steps in several areas to improve mass care for the disabled based on lessons learned from the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Key FEMA staff had not received training on reimbursement policies and sometimes did not provide accurate information, and some of the information on FEMA's Web site was not presented in a user-friendly format. FEMA has not addressed these communication issues.”
Name of Researcher: Julie Curry
Institution: Integrative Center for Homeland Security, Texas A&M University
Date Posted: March 3, 2008