From FederalNewsNetwork: Lawmakers ask FEMA how to avoid future communication breakdowns during disasters.

“Right now, FEMA is dealing with 960 declared disasters around the country – at least one in every state – and not all of them are COVID-19 related. Of the agency’s 52 federal coordinating officers for disaster management, only one is not currently assigned to a disaster.

Aside from the pandemic – FEMA is helping with an influx of migrants at the southern border, prepping for wildfire and hurricane seasons, and responding to damage from severe winter storms across the middle of the country. However, it was COVID-19 specifically that highlighted weaknesses in the chain of command. A report released in January said that neither FEMA nor the Department of Health and Human Services understood the domestic supply chain at the beginning of this response.”