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National Disaster Response: FEMA Should Take Action to Improve Capacity and Coordination between Government and Voluntary Sectors

GAO-08-369 Published: Feb 27, 2008. Publicly Released: Feb 27, 2008.
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Highlights

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.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Homeland Security To provide greater assurance that FEMA has adequate staff capabilities to support the agency's enhanced role under the NRF in helping coordinate with voluntary organizations, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to take action to enhance the capabilities of its Voluntary Agency Liason (VAL) workforce, such as converting some Katrina VALs into full-time VALs able to work on the entire range of coordination issues with voluntary organizations.
Closed – Implemented
DHS recognized the essential coordination role of VALs and is converting 12 VAL positions into permanent, full-time positions.
Department of Homeland Security To provide greater assurance that FEMA has adequate staff capabilities to support the agency's enhanced role under the NRF in helping coordinate with voluntary organizations, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to take action to enhance the capabilities of its Voluntary Agency Liason (VAL) workforce, such as increasing the number of full-time VALs.
Closed – Implemented
FEMA enhanced the capabilities of its Voluntary Agency Liaison workforce by converting some on-call voluntary agency liaisons to permanent positions.
Department of Homeland Security To provide greater assurance that FEMA has adequate staff capabilities to support the agency's enhanced role under the NRF in helping coordinate with voluntary organizations, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to take action to enhance the capabilities of its Voluntary Agency Liason (VAL) workforce, such as providing role-specific training to VALs, including providing them with information about Public Assistance opportunities and policies for voluntary organizations.
Closed – Implemented
FEMA has completed the development of a Voluntary Agency Liaison Handbook, complete with current guidance on how to perform their role effectively in disaster response and recovery operations. The Handbook has been piloted as a teaching module with two groups of FEMA VALs, and training will continue until all VALs have been trained. In addition, FEMA has completed the revision of a Volunteer and Donations Management course and plans to begin training VALs in the summer of 2008.
Department of Homeland Security In light of FEMA's enhanced role under the NRF in helping coordinate the activities of voluntary organizations in disasters, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to provide technical assistance to NVOAD, as needed, as NVOAD works to improve its communication strategies.
Closed – Not Implemented
FEMA indicated that it is committed to providing technical assistance to strengthen NVOAD's information-sharing capability and that it will participate on NVOAD's Communications Standing Committee, but has not demonstrated that it has yet provided technical assistance. In 2010, NVOAD reported that FEMA and NVOAD have begun discussions about how FEMA can help improve NVOAD's communications capabilities. FEMA did not provide an update on its actions in FY11 and took no additional action in FY12.
Department of Homeland Security To ensure that the needs of individuals with disabilities are fully integrated into FEMA's efforts to implement provisions of the Act that require FEMA to coordinate with National Council on Disability (NCD), the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to develop a detailed set of measurable action steps, in consultation with the NCD, for how FEMA will coordinate with NCD.
Closed – Not Implemented
FEMA indicated that it has taken several steps, including assigning a FEMA staff member responsibility for coordinating with NCD, but did not indicate that it had developed a detailed set of measurable action steps for FEMA/NCD coordination for FY08. FEMA did not provide an update in FY11 and took no additional action in FY12.
Department of Homeland Security To help ensure that voluntary organizations can readily obtain clear and accurate information about the reimbursement opportunities offered by the Public Assistance program, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to take action to make the information on FEMA's Web site about reimbursement opportunities for voluntary organizations more user-friendly. This could include developing a user-friendly guide or fact sheet that provides an overview of opportunities for reimbursement for facilities damage.
Closed – Not Implemented
FEMA indicated that it will continue efforts to improve the user-friendliness of web based information pertaining to reimbursement opportunities, but did not provide any specific actions taken in FY08 or FY09. FEMA did not provide an update in FY11 and took no additional action in FY12.
Department of Homeland Security To help ensure that voluntary organizations can readily obtain clear and accurate information about the reimbursement opportunities offered by the Public Assistance program, the Secretary of Homeland Security should direct the Administrator of FEMA to take action to make the information on FEMA's Web site about reimbursement opportunities for voluntary organizations more user-friendly. This could include providing contact information for organizations to get more information about Public Assistance program opportunities.
Closed – Not Implemented
In FY08, FEMA indicated that it would continue efforts to improve the user-friendliness of web based information pertaining to reimbursement opportunities. However, the agency did not provide any specific actions taken since that time.
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters To improve NVOAD's effectiveness in meeting its NRF information-sharing responsibilities after disasters, NVOAD should assess members' information needs, and improve its communication strategies after disasters. As part of this effort, NVOAD should examine how best to fund improved communication strategies, which may include developing a proposal for FEMA funding. To facilitate the implementation of improved communication strategies, NVOAD may want to consider strategies for increasing staff support for NVOAD after disasters, such as having staff from NVOAD member organizations temporarily detailed to NVOAD.
Closed – Implemented
NVOAD indicated in August 2010 that this recommendation had been addressed by NVOAD hiring a full-time member services manager. This was confirmed by the NVOAD website.

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Topics

Aid for the disabledDisabilitiesDisaster planningDisaster recovery plansDisaster relief aidEmergency managementEmergency preparednessEmergency preparedness programsEmergency responseEmergency response personnelEmergency response plansFederal agenciesstate relationsHurricane KatrinaHurricanesInteragency relationsNatural disastersProgram evaluationPublic assistance programsVolunteer servicesDisaster management (response)Program coordinationProgram implementation