Category Archives: FEMA

New GAO Report on Disaster Recovery Framework

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Hot off the presses, this report on Disaster Recovery from the GAO. As the Diva noted a few days ago, the Frontline TV Show featured the huge problems with recovery and with the National Flood Insurance Program after Hurricane Sandy. One would expect that the show would have generated a lot of scrutiny. But as we all know a GAO takes many months to complete. So it is an interesting coincidence that this report was released today.

Disaster Recovery: FEMA Needs to Assess Its Effectiveness in Implementing the National Disaster Recovery Framework. Report is 45 pages. GAO-16-476: Published: May 26, 2016.

For those of you as impatient as the Diva, the first 16 pages of the report describe what should happen, and then on pages 17 -30 the report digs into what actually happened and the problems identified. The conclusions and recommendations for action are on pages 30 and 31.

FEMA Reservist Satisfaction Survey Results

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For the past few years one of the hottest topics for blog postings is the FEMA Reservist Program, because many readers are or were reservists. (The Diva was one once upon a time.)

Now, here is a copy of the recent Reservist Workforce Satisfaction Survey Results. It is 26 pages, dated March 2016. See page 22 for details about satisfaction.

Note: be sure to print it off in high quality and color format, since it is hard to read in black and white.

In the past few years, the GAO also has done assessments of the Reservist Program; do a key word search on their site to locate them.

Any comments?

Two New GAO Reports on FEMA – updated

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GAO. DISASTER RESPONSE:FEMA Has Made Progress Implementing Key Programs, but Opportunities for Improvement Exist.  Feb. 2016. 

GAO. Federal Emergency Management Agency: Strengthening Regional Coordination Could Enhance Preparedness Efforts. GAO-16-38: Publicly Released: Feb 4, 2016.

GAO found that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has taken some steps, but has not fully addressed, preparedness grant management coordination challenges between headquarters and its regions. For several preparedness grant programs, FEMA headquarters and regions share management and monitoring responsibilities. Assessments by FEMA and others since 2009 have recommended that FEMA regions manage and monitor preparedness grants to avoid confusion and duplication and strengthen coordination with state and local grantees. However, in 2012 FEMA changed course and decided to continue sharing grant management between headquarters and regions. Since then, FEMA officials said they are taking steps to address coordination challenges that exist in this structure. However, GAO found that challenges continue to exist. For example, states and FEMA regional officials told GAO that FEMA headquarters and regions did not always coordinate monitoring visits and provided inconsistent guidance to grantees. Further, while FEMA officials identified some steps to address the challenges, FEMA lacks a plan with time frames and goals for addressing them. Doing so will better enable FEMA to effectively address the long-standing challenges in managing preparedness grants.

DHS, DOD, and FEMA

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Update on earlier posting.  The Diva mentioned this new RAND report two days ago, but had not yet read it. I want to call it to reader’s attention because it contains some significant findings.

From the Homeland Security Digital Library, this discussion of a new report from RAND. See: Disaster Response, FEMA, and the DoD; A Relationship in Progress. See this abstract from RAND.

Here is the direct link to the Rand Report: Improving DOD Support to FEMA’s All-Hazards Plans.(78 pages). The summary and the charts on pages 11-13 give you a quick idea of the inadequacies of FEMA’s efforts to date.

The Diva invites reader comments because she is out of her league on this topic.  Two colleagues will address this report today – Bill Cumming on Homeland Security Watch and Eric Holdeman in Disaster-Zone.

FEMA and CA Plan for El Nino

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Here is a good example of pre-event mitigation, something we do not do enough of in my opinion. See: FEMA, California Cities Prepare for El Niño With Dress Rehearsal

Anticipating a strong El Niño this winter, the regional Federal Emergency Management Agency in Oakland on Wednesday is conducting a dress rehearsal and releasing a disaster response plan for Northern California.

FEMA spokeswoman Mary Simms said a task force has been working on a plan to “prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate against” any El Niño-related disaster. And that on Wednesday, officials from many agencies will “rehearse” what would happen during an El Niño to make “intelligent decisions” when the storms hit. Other plans are similarly being developed in Arizona and Nevada, as well.

Here is another article with more details, from the Sacramento Bee.

Inspector General of DHS Highly Critical of FEMA’s Spending

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From Homeland Security Today this account of a recent report from the Inspector General of DHS. $1 Billion in Questionable DHS FY 2014 Disaster-Related Funding Found by IG. Some excerpts follow:

In FY 2014, the Inspector General told Congress it issued 61 audits of grants, programs and operations funded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund.

The grant audit reports issued by the IG in FY 2014 included $971.7 million in potential monetary benefits, representing 28 percent of the $3.44 billion of grant funds the IG audited last fiscal year.

Despite the findings of all these IG audits, it “continues to find problems with grant management, ineligible and unsupported costs and noncompliance with federal contracting requirements,” the IG stressed.

A more “significant issue for FY 2014 grant audits,” the IG stated, was the “unused funding that could be put to better use.”

These revelations precede the numerous audit reports issued by the Inspector General documenting many millions in FEMA Public Assistance Grant Funds awarded for Hurricane Katrina damages. The IG stated the millions were improper, improperly used … and “should be recovered by FEMA.” Despite FEMA’s decade of progress after Hurricane Katrina, millions in public assistance grants were misspent, IG concluded.

Additionally, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress’ impartial investigative branch, also concluded in a new 93-page audit report that there is no comprehensive, strategic approach to identifying, prioritizing and implementing investments for disaster resilience, which increases the risk that the federal government and nonfederal partners will experience lower returns on investments or lost opportunities to strengthen key critical infrastructure and lifelines.”

Here is the direct link to the Inspector General’s 39 page report.