Requests for Federal Disaster Assistance Need Better Evaluation
CED-82-4
Published: Dec 07, 1981. Publicly Released: Dec 07, 1981.
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Highlights
The Federal Disaster Relief Program is intended to supplement the assistance which states, their political subdivision, private relief organizations, and citizens provide for disaster relief. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) evaluates requests from states for assistance and recommends declarations or denials to the President. GAO reviewed FEMA activities to determine the type and amount of information it obtains, the criteria it uses to evaluate the requests, and the bases for its recommendations.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress should direct FEMA to prepare a comprehensive analysis of the impact of potential state inequities on federal disaster assistance and submit to Congress a detailed plan and legislative changes to correct such weaknesses. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
For political reasons, Congress has not given this direction and FEMA believes that it should not address these inequities at this time. |
| Congress should reevaluate the present law and clarify the extent to which supplemental federal assistance should be given in major disasters and emergencies. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
No further action is intended by the responsible committees on the proposed amendments to the Disaster Relief Act. |
| Congress should clarify the Disaster Relief Act by spelling out as clearly as possible the type of incidents which may receive disaster assistance. It could define more precisely the intended coverage of the act and specify that disaster assistance should be provided if there are no other federal programs available and the state is unable to cope with the situation. FEMA and the Administration would then be better able to administer the act as Congress intends. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
No further action is intended by the responsible committees on the proposed amendments to the Disaster Relief Act. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The Director of FEMA should develop comprehensive, uniform forms to be used by governors when submitting their requests and by regional offices when performing damage assessments. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The Director of FEMA should use computer models, such as those developed by GAO, as a tool for program decisionmaking and evaluation. |
Closed – Not Implemented
FEMA has determined that it will not use computer analysis for making decisions on disasters.
|
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The Director of FEMA should reevaluate and improve the FEMA assessment criteria for evaluating major disaster and emergency requests. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The Director of FEMA should establish written policies, procedures, and guidelines to use when evaluating major disaster and emergency requests and publish them in the Federal Register. This should include: (1) an explanation of the FEMA basic philosophy for evaluating capability and commitment; (2) an explanation of the use of evaluation factors, such as debt and borrowing capacity, surplus funds, and prior disaster history; and (3) the FEMA positions on budgetary relief, forced commitments, and similar matters. The Director should also require that governors' requests include comprehensive information on the financial capability of the state, the availability of such resources under state law, per capita income, disaster trends, and similar factors to expedite the FEMA assessment of the level of capability each state could attain and to aid FEMA in evaluating the reasonableness of state commitments. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The Director of FEMA should make it clear that future requests which fully comply with federal laws and regulations will help avoid delays in processing the requests. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The Director of FEMA should require the documentation of all substantive discussions and evaluation meetings held by FEMA. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
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Topics
Cost sharing (finance)Disaster relief aidEligibility criteriaEmergency managementFederal aid to localitiesFederal aid to statesMathematical analysisNatural disastersProgram evaluationProposed legislationRefugeesWater pollution