Federal Programs / Guidance

Federal Recovery Systems and Programs

Three new reports out this week (April 13) address some of the fundamental problems of  the current federal recovery system:

(1) Heritage Foundation. Federalizing Disasters Weakens FEMA -- and Hurts Americans Hit by Catastrophes. Report # 2398 by M. Mayer and M. DeBosier.This report covers both response and recovery phase issues.

(2) DHS, Office of the Inspector General. Efficacy of DHS Grant Programs. Criticism of the existing grant programs, attributing some blame to the enabling legislation.

(3) GAO. Disaster Recovery; FEMA's Long -term Assistance Was Helpful to State and Local Governments but Had Some Limitations. GAO-10-404. March 2010.
Quote: "Currently, there is no comprehensive operational coordinating structure to guide the many federal, state, and local entities involved in disaster recovery."

Policy and Program Assessment - an opinion

Rubin, Claire B. Long Term Recovery From Disasters -- the Neglected Component of Emergency Management. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, July 2009.

Recent Federal Actions:

Dept. of Transportation (Oct.2009) National Transportation Recovery Strategy.

Federal Disaster Recovery Working Group ( Oct. 2009). Newly formed interagency work group. Not much content on the site as yet.

FEMA recovery website. FEMA has just launched a new site intended for use regarding Gulf Coast area recovery. (Nov. 2008). It appears to be a new gateway into the basic information available on the FEMA website.

Reports:

GAO (Dec. 18, 2008). Disaster Recovery; FEMA's Public Assistance Grant Program Experiences Challenges with Gulf Coast Rebuilding. 61 pp.