The Diva is feeling discouraged this week from the lack of interest and comments from readers. In the past week or so, she posted two really serious articles:

(1) June 8 – FEMA Wants More Responsibility for Recovery to Go to State and Local      Government, which discusses a policy shift by FEMA, which would mean the agency plans to pull out much sooner from the recovery process and expect state and local agencies to manage the long-term recovery.

(2) June 13 – Staffing Problems at FEMA, which discusses the serious deficiencies in the Reservist program as well as staff depletion issues. In recent disasters the lack of staff, and lack of well-trained staff has been a serious limitation to the response and recovery. One has to wonder what the agency plans to do to increase its effectiveness?

This blog reaches several hundred people per day, all of whom seemingly have an interest in disaster recovery. Yet the response to the major issues raised by the two posting noted is limited and passive.

Update on June 16 – it took a while but finally several people have provided comments. Thanks!

[Note: recent changes to the blog format  means that those of you who subscribe to the service noting a new posting get that notification from WordPress and not RecoveryDiva, as was true in the past. Sorry, but that change came with the upgrade. ]

How corruption slows disaster recovery.  Much of this article seems obvious but it is worth noting that corruption may not only slow down recovery but contribute to deaths.  A couple of quotes follow:

We believe progress would have been quicker if Puerto Rico’s first big energy contract had been correctly executed. After a disaster, corruption can literally kill.
Our work also identified several ways that Caribbean countries could limit how corruption harms future hurricane recoveries.

Better disaster preparedness – including building code compliance, zoning enforcement in exposed locations like beaches and hillsides and transparent, well-resourced disaster-response teams – would reduce turmoil after extreme weather. That, in turn, would minimize opportunities for the kinds of chaos-related corruption we documented across the Caribbean.

Excellent new article in the Environmental Law Reporter. See: Superstorm Sandy at Five: Lessons on Law as Catalyst and Obstacle to Long-Term Recovery Following Catastrophic Disasters, by Donovan Finn and John Travis Marshall.

Note: The Diva has a copy of the full article and can share it with a limited number of people. Please email her with your request.

New, free ebook from the National Academy of Sciences: The State of Resilience; A Leadership Forum and Community Workshop:

See this CNN article: FEMA Shifts Focus to Local Governments for Disaster Preparedness.

Your comments are invited!

I have heard this call many times in past years.  I remain skeptical that localities and states that have suffered extreme damage can assume extra responsibilities for response and recovery.

New GAO Report: Emergency Management: Implementation of the Major Disaster Declaration Process for Federally Recognized Tribes

According to tribal officials GAO surveyed and interviewed, there are several factors they considered when deciding whether to make a direct request or to join a state’s request for a major disaster declaration. Key factors that tribes reported considering were the (1) importance of tribal sovereignty, (2) financial matters such as the timeliness with which they receive funds, (3) the level of support they anticipated receiving from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and (4) their own emergency management capacity. For example, survey results showed that tribal officials’ confidence in their capacity to manage the declaration was a key factor in determining whether to make a request directly. Specifically, various elements of emergency management capacity, as illustrated below, could affect tribes’ ability to manage a declaration.