DOCSLIB.ORG

FEMA's Public Assistance Program

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
FEMA's Public Assistance Program FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: A Primer and Considerations for Congress April 1, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R46749 SUMMARY R46749 FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: A Primer April 1, 2021 and Considerations for Congress Erica A. Lee The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) Analyst in Emergency Program is central to contemporary U.S. federal emergency and disaster relief. Over the Management and Disaster past 10 years, PA has been authorized in every county, parish, and municipality in the Recovery United States. The reconstruction of entire infrastructure systems following Hurricane Katrina, mass evacuations ahead of California wildfires, and emergency medical care during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic were all funded through PA. Administered by FEMA, the PA Program assists state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and certain nonprofits with both urgent response and long-term recovery work following a presidential declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act, as amended, P.L. 93-288). The Stafford Act provides PA for response and recovery through a federalist model intended to supplement—not supplant—nonfederal resources. FEMA and the state, tribe, or territory that received a declaration jointly administer PA, and the costs are shared between the federal government and nonfederal entities receiving assistance. Congress has addressed the scope, timeliness, and cost of PA in recent legislation and hearings, often in the wake of severe disasters, The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 (Division B of P.L. 113-2;) and the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (Division D of P.L. 115-254) included modifications to PA authorities that may expedite the completion of PA projects, reduce PA spending, and promote work that mitigates the risk of future damage. Still, as the frequency and severity of PA-eligible disasters mounted in recent years, so did the utilization and cost of PA. This report summarizes PA Program authorities and FEMA’s Public Assistance Program Obligations requirements. It also presents considerations relevant FY2000-FY2020 (billions) to the following policy questions for Congress: How, if at all, may Congress seek to respond to recent PA spending increases? How can the federal government effectively oversee the PA Program while swiftly assisting disaster-stricken communities? How, if at all, may Congress promote resilience through PA? How will the federal government address delays in PA project completion and Source: CRS analysis of data provided by FEMA Office of recovery? Congressional and Legislative Affairs. To promote the timely and cost effective- execution of PA projects, Congress recently authorized Alternative Procedures. Has the implementation of Alternative Procedures met these goals? How may Congress seek to address the potential strain of PA on local, state, and federal workforce capacity, given the demands of grant management? To what extent should FEMA exercise discretion in determining what costs are eligible for PA? Congressional Research Service FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: A Primer and Considerations for Congress Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Scope and Structure of Report .................................................................................................. 1 Program Overview .......................................................................................................................... 2 Requesting, Authorizing, and Administering PA ...................................................................... 4 Requesting and Authorizing Public Assistance for Emergencies........................................ 4 Requesting and Authorizing Public Assistance for Major Disasters ................................... 5 PA Recipients and Applicants ............................................................................................. 8 Eligibility .................................................................................................................................. 9 Applicants ......................................................................................................................... 10 Facility .............................................................................................................................. 10 Work ................................................................................................................................... 11 Costs.................................................................................................................................. 14 PA Requirements and Procedures............................................................................................ 15 Cost-Share ......................................................................................................................... 15 Insurance Requirements .................................................................................................... 16 Public Assistance Funding Procedures ............................................................................. 17 Building Standards ............................................................................................................ 22 Mitigation Activities ......................................................................................................... 23 PA Funding .................................................................................................................................... 24 DRF Obligations for PA .......................................................................................................... 24 Scale of PA Expenditures ........................................................................................................ 25 Trends in PA Expenditures ...................................................................................................... 27 Obligations by Category ................................................................................................... 27 Obligations by Hazard Type ............................................................................................. 27 Obligations by State .......................................................................................................... 29 Congressional Considerations ....................................................................................................... 29 Cost of PA Program ................................................................................................................. 30 Oversight Challenges .............................................................................................................. 33 Promoting Resilience Through PA .......................................................................................... 35 Project Execution Delays ........................................................................................................ 36 Strained Federal, State, and Local Workforce Capacity .......................................................... 38 Alternative Procedures ............................................................................................................ 41 Agency Discretion ................................................................................................................... 42 Concluding Observations .............................................................................................................. 44 Figures Figure 1. Forms of Public Assistance Authorized Under Stafford Act Declarations ....................... 4 Figure 2. Stafford Act Declaration Request Process ....................................................................... 6 Figure 3. Structure of FEMA Public Assistance Program Administration ...................................... 9 Figure 4. FEMA’s PA Program Eligibility Pyramid ...................................................................... 10 Figure 5. Funding Scenarios for Large Projects Under Alternative and Standard Public Assistance Procedures ................................................................................................................ 21 Figure 6. Disaster RF Obligations by Category, Fiscal Years 2000-2020 ..................................... 25 Congressional Research Service FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: A Primer and Considerations for Congress Figure 7. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program Obligations, Fiscal Years 2000-2020 ................... 25 Figure 8. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program Obligations by Category, Fiscal Years 2000-2020................................................................................................................................... 27 Figure 9. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program Obligations by Hazard, Fiscal Years 2000- 2020 ............................................................................................................................................ 28 Figure 10. FEMA’s Public Assistance Program Obligations by State and Territory, Fiscal Years 2000-2020 ......................................................................................................................... 29 Figure A-1. FEMA-reported PA Obligations for FY2020 by Incident .......................................... 46 Figure A-2. FEMA-reported PA Obligations including
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A FAILURE of INITIATIVE Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina
    A FAILURE OF INITIATIVE Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina U.S. House of Representatives 4 A FAILURE OF INITIATIVE A FAILURE OF INITIATIVE Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina Union Calendar No. 00 109th Congress Report 2nd Session 000-000 A FAILURE OF INITIATIVE Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina Report by the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoacess.gov/congress/index.html February 15, 2006. — Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed U. S. GOVERNMEN T PRINTING OFFICE Keeping America Informed I www.gpo.gov WASHINGTON 2 0 0 6 23950 PDF For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 COVER PHOTO: FEMA, BACKGROUND PHOTO: NASA SELECT BIPARTISAN COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE PREPARATION FOR AND RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA TOM DAVIS, (VA) Chairman HAROLD ROGERS (KY) CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (CT) HENRY BONILLA (TX) STEVE BUYER (IN) SUE MYRICK (NC) MAC THORNBERRY (TX) KAY GRANGER (TX) CHARLES W. “CHIP” PICKERING (MS) BILL SHUSTER (PA) JEFF MILLER (FL) Members who participated at the invitation of the Select Committee CHARLIE MELANCON (LA) GENE TAYLOR (MS) WILLIAM J.
    [Show full text]
  • COVID-19 Conversations Webinar #8 Transcript
    1 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF MEDICINE and AMERICAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION + + + + + SUMMER OF COVID-19: MITIGATING DIRECT AND INDIRECT IMPACTS IN THE COMING MONTHS + + + + + WEBINAR + + + + + WEDNESDAY MAY 27, 2020 + + + + + The Webinar convened via video teleconference, at 5:00 p.m., Nicole Lurie, Moderator, presiding. 2 PRESENT GEORGES C. BENJAMIN, MD, Executive Director, American Public Health Association NICOLE LURIE, MD, MSPH (Moderator) --- F o r m e r A s s i s t a n t Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Co-Chair, COVID-19 Conversations advisory group LINDA DeGUTIS, DrPH, MSN --- Adjunct Professor, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health; Lecturer, Yale School of Medicine CRAIG FUGATE --- Former Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Administration; Former Director, Florida Emergency Management Division ATEEV MEHROTRA, MD, MPH --- Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center physician KENT SMETTERS, PhD --- B o e t t n e r C h a ir Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and Faculty Director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model 3 CONTENTS Welcome and Introduction Georges Benjamin ........................ 4 Nicki Lurie ............................. 6 Coronavirus Policy Responses Kent Smetters .......................... 11 The Pandemic's Impact on How Americans Get Care Ateev Mehrotra ......................... 27 Managing Concurrent Emergencies Craig Fugate ........................... 37 Data Regarding Spikes During Disasters Linda DeGutis .......................... 47 Question and Answer.......................... 59 Final Words.................................. 86 Adjourn...................................... 94 4 P-R-O-C-E-E-D-I-N-G-S 5:00 p.m.
    [Show full text]
  • Archived April 2018
    National Flood Insurance Program U.S. Department of Homeland Security P.O. Box 310 Lanham, MD 20703-0310 W-09010 March 4, 2009 MEMORANDUM FOR: Write Your Own (WYO) Principal Coordinators and the NFIP Servicing Agent FROM: WYO Clearinghouse SUBJECT: White House Announces FEMA Nominee Attached is a copy of a White House press release issued today identifying Craig Fugate, Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, as President Barack Obama’s intended nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Please distribute this information to all within your organization. cc: Vendors, IBHS, FIPNC, Government Technical Representative Suggested Routing: All Departments ARCHIVED APRIL 2018 www.fema.gov THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _______________________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2009 President Obama Announces His Intent to Nominate Craig Fugate as FEMA Administrator Fugate Will Appear With DHS Secretary Napolitano Tomorrow in New Orleans WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate the Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Craig Fugate to be his FEMA Administrator. On the nomination of Craig Fugate, President Obama said, "From his experience as a first responder to his strong leadership as Florida’s Emergency Manager, Craig has what it takes to help us improve our preparedness, response and recovery efforts and I can think of no one better to lead FEMA. I’m confident that Craig is the right person for the job and will ensure that the failures of the past are never repeated. Fugate will join Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano for an event in New Orleans tomorrow.
    [Show full text]
  • FEMA and Disaster: a Look at What Worked and What Didn't from a FEMA Insider (1993 - 2000) Leo Bosner
    The Federal Emergency Management Agency - FEMA - became an object of derision as it appeared to sit by helplessly as thousands suffered and died in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But many have forgotten that FEMA responded quickly and effectively to countless emergencies and dis- asters during the 1990s. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, the Oklahoma City Bombing, all saw a swift response from FEMA, a sharp contrast to FEMA's performance after Hurricane Katrina. Leo Bosner worked at FEMA for nearly 30 years, from the time of the agency's establishment in 1979 until his retirement in 2008. I have known Leo for 21 years and really appreciated the work he did inside the bureaucracy, often at the risk of his own job, to make this vital agency work. We are lucky to have someone with so much experience let us in on how FEMA worked or didn't work through five presidents. In this four-part Solutions series, Bosner traces the development of FEMA during those years and offers his observations as to why a government agency like FEMA would perform so well one time and so poorly the next ... and his ideas on the key factors that can lead FEMA to success in the future. Leo Bosner was an employee of FEMA from 1979 until his retirement in 2008 and at the time of his re- tirement was president of the FEMA Headquarters employees' union, AFGE Local 4060. The views ex- pressed here are Mr. Bosner's personal views only. -Dina Rasor, Solutions editor On April 19, 1995, at a few minutes past nine in the morning local time, terrorists exploded a deadly bomb in front of the Alfred P.
    [Show full text]
  • FEMA's Disaster Declaration Process: a Primer
    FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process: A Primer Updated November 12, 2014 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R43784 FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process: A Primer Summary The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (referred to as the Stafford Act—42 U.S.C. 5721 et seq.) authorizes the President to issue “major disaster” or “emergency” declarations before or after catastrophes occur. Emergency declarations trigger aid that protects property, public health, and safety and lessens or averts the threat of an incident becoming a catastrophic event. Given their purpose, the emergency declarations may precede an event. A major disaster declaration is generally issued after catastrophes occur, and constitutes broader authority for federal agencies to provide supplemental assistance to help state and local governments, families and individuals, and certain nonprofit organizations recover from the incident. The end result of a presidential disaster declaration is well known, if not entirely understood. Various forms of assistance are provided, including aid to families and individuals for uninsured needs; and assistance to state and local governments, and to certain non-profits for rebuilding or replacing damaged infrastructure. Over the last quarter century, the amount of federal assistance provided through presidential disaster declarations has exceeded $150 billion. Often, in recent years, Congress has enacted supplemental appropriations legislation to cover unanticipated costs. While the amounts spent by the federal government on different programs may be reported, and the progress of the recovery can be observed, much less is known about the process that initiates all of this activity. Yet, it is a process that has resulted in an average of more than one disaster declaration a week over the last decade.
    [Show full text]
  • Nomination of W. Craig Fugate Hearing
    S. Hrg. 111–677 NOMINATION OF W. CRAIG FUGATE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION NOMINATION OF W. CRAIG FUGATE TO BE ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOME- LAND SECURITY APRIL 22, 2009 Available via http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 50–388 PDF WASHINGTON : 2010 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, http://bookstore.gpo.gov. For more information, contact the GPO Customer Contact Center, U.S. Government Printing Office. Phone 202–512–1800, or 866–512–1800 (toll-free). E-mail, [email protected]. VerDate Nov 24 2008 08:16 Nov 02, 2010 Jkt 050388 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 P:\DOCS\50388.TXT SAFFAIRS PsN: PAT ph44585 on D330-44585-7600 with DISTILLER COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman CARL LEVIN, Michigan SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii TOM COBURN, Oklahoma THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina JON TESTER, Montana ROBERT F. BENNETT, Utah ROLAND W. BURRIS, Illinois MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado MICHAEL L. ALEXANDER, Staff Director MARY BETH SCHULTZ, Counsel KRISTINE V. LAM, Professional Staff Member BRANDON L. MILHORN, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel ASHA A. MATHEW, Minority Senior Counsel JENNIFER L.
    [Show full text]
  • William Craig Fugate
    William Craig Fugate W. Craig Fugate served as President Barack Obama’s FEMA Administrator from May 2009 to January 2017. Previously, he served as Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s Emergency Management Director from 2001-2009. Fugate led FEMA through multiple record-breaking disaster years and oversaw the Federal Government’s response to major events such as the Joplin and Moore Tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana flooding. Fugate set a clear and compelling vision, mission, and priorities for FEMA and relentlessly drove the Agency to achieve better outcomes for survivors. FEMA’s effectiveness in dealing with more than 500 Presidentially- declared major disasters and emergencies under Fugate’s leadership restored the faith of the American people in the Federal Government’s ability to respond to disasters. Prior to his tenure at FEMA, Fugate was widely praised for his management, under Governor Jeb Bush, of the devastating effects of the 2004 and 2005 Florida hurricane seasons (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma). Fugate’s strategy of setting ambitious goals, establishing clear expectations, and pushing people out of their comfort zones drove FEMA to achieve more in a shorter period of time than many believed possible. Fugate established a leadership culture within FEMA in which taking risks and leaning forward to meet the needs of survivors became a baseline expectation. Fugate established a sweeping policy requiring all FEMA employees to have a disaster role in addition to their day-job. Fugate instituted a comprehensive academic and experiential qualification system for the Agency’s disaster workforce and created thirteen National and Regional Incident Management Assistance Teams to deploy early in support of state, local, tribal, and territorial partners.
    [Show full text]
  • Fixing America's Broken Disaster Housing Recovery
    FIXING AMERICA’S BROKEN DISASTER HOUSING RECOVERY SYSTEM PART ONE: BARRIERS TO A COMPLETE AND EQUITABLE RECOVERY SARAH SAADIAN MICKELSON NLIHC Senior Policy Director NOAH PATTON NLIHC Housing Policy Analyst ADAM GORDON Fair Share Housing Associate Director DAVID RAMMLER Fair Share Housing Consulting Attorney DISASTER HOUSING RECOVERY COALITION, C/O NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION HEADING 1 HERE INTRODUCTION HEADING 1 HERE merica’s disaster housing recovery framework is broken and in need of major reform. When disasters strike, the lowest-income survivors – including people of color, seniors, people with Adisabilities, people experiencing homelessness, people with limited English proficiency, and other individuals – are often hardest hit and have the fewest resources and face the longest, steepest path to recovery.1 Despite the clear need, federal efforts frequently leave these survivors without the assistance needed to get back on their feet and their communities less resilient to future disasters. The result is a disaster housing recovery framework that exacerbates and reinforces racial, income, and accessibility inequities at each stage of response and recovery. Emergency planning and response efforts minimize or ignore the needs of the lowest-income households, leaving too many survivors – notably people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, immigrant communities and people with limited English proficiency – vulnerable to serious injury and even death. After a disaster, the lowest-income survivors are unable to access the stable, affordable, and accessible homes and resources they need to recover and, as a result, they often have no choice but to return to uninhabitable homes, sleep in cars or at shelters, double- or triple-up with other low- income families, or pay more than half of their limited incomes on rent, putting them at increased risk of displacement, eviction, and, in worst cases, homelessness.
    [Show full text]
  • The Flood Insurance Claims Process in Communities After Sandy: Lessons Learned and Potential Improvements
    S. HRG. 113–483 THE FLOOD INSURANCE CLAIMS PROCESS IN COMMUNITIES AFTER SANDY: LESSONS LEARNED AND POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON EXAMINING THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM’S CLAIM PROCESS IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE SANDY JULY 30, 2014 Printed for the use of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs ( Available at: http://www.fdsys.gov/ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 91–460 PDF WASHINGTON : 2015 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:31 Feb 25, 2015 Jkt 046629 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 L:\HEARINGS 2014\07-30 ZDISTILL\91460.TXT JASON COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota, Chairman JACK REED, Rhode Island MIKE CRAPO, Idaho CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York RICHARD C. SHELBY, Alabama ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey BOB CORKER, Tennessee SHERROD BROWN, Ohio DAVID VITTER, Louisiana JON TESTER, Montana MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska MARK R. WARNER, Virginia PATRICK J. TOOMEY, Pennsylvania JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon MARK KIRK, Illinois KAY HAGAN, North Carolina JERRY MORAN, Kansas JOE MANCHIN III, West Virginia TOM COBURN, Oklahoma ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts DEAN HELLER, Nevada HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota CHARLES YI, Staff Director GREGG RICHARD, Republican Staff Director DAWN RATLIFF, Chief Clerk SHELVIN SIMMONS, IT Director JIM CROWELL, Editor SUBCOMMITTEE ON HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION, AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey, Chairman JERRY MORAN, Kansas, Ranking Republican Member JACK REED, Rhode Island BOB CORKER, Tennessee CHARLES E.
    [Show full text]
  • Surviving a Catastrophic Power Outage
    0 Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction: What the Nation Faces ................................................................................................................. 4 Recommendations and Supporting Findings ...................................................................................................... 6 Moving Forward: A Call to Action ..................................................................................................................... 22 Appendix A: Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 23 Appendix B: Study Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 27 Appendix C: Definitions to Frame the Study ..................................................................................................... 30 Appendix D: Government Authorities, Processes, and Roles ........................................................................... 34 Appendix E: Sector Interdependencies ............................................................................................................. 52 Appendix F: Individual and Community Preparedness Efforts ......................................................................... 63 Appendix G: Lessons Learned from 2017 Disasters .........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Strategies for Supporting Community Resilience Strategies for Supporting Strategies for Supporting Community Resilience Multinational Experiences Community Resilience
    Strategies for Supporting Community Resilience Strategies for Supporting Strategies for Supporting Community Resilience Multinational Experiences Community Resilience “This collection of articles offers hope that even the most senior and accomplished leaders can learn together. In 2009, several policy officials self-organized to create an opportunity to have direct dialogue with their peers, without formality, protocol, or bureaucratic barri- ers. … From my experiences here in Christchurch, the five themes that organized this pol- icy exchange and are represented throughout this volume hit the mark. Emergency plans all too often either fail to understand or even misunderstand the nature of communities.” Lianne Dalziel – Mayor of Christchurch, New Zealand Multinational Experiences “If we learn to listen to local residents, they will tell us how best to support them. Government has an essential role in resilience, but it is in finding new ways to be better partners and making it easier and more effective for residents to prepare themselves and recover together. What we have learned from our own experiences, and those of other nations, suggests that governments and citizens succeed when the whole community is involved.” W. Craig Fugate - Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency “Our risks are changing, and with them we need new resilience strategies. In our case, learning to live with water in a new way is critical. Learning how to prepare for and recover quickly to cyber attacks is equally urgent. But making sure that our citizens are the center of our strategies is the priority. The chapters in this volume identify well how priorities are changing and what can and should be done in the next decade to build and sustain community resilience.” Helena Lindberg – Director-General, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency ”I had the pleasure of participating in the policy dialogues from which these chapters originated during a meeting in New Zealand.
    [Show full text]
  • W. Craig Fugate Former Administrator Federal Emergency Management Agency
    W. Craig Fugate Former Administrator Federal Emergency Management Agency W. Craig Fugate served as President Barack Obama's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator from 2009-17. Fugate led FEMA through multiple record-breaking disaster years and oversaw the federal government’s response to major events such as the Joplin and Moore tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana flooding. During his tenure, Fugate focused not only on restoring FEMA’s response capabilities but on promoting emergency management as a community and shared responsibility. Fugate instituted a permanent effort to build the nation’s capacity to stabilize a catastrophic event within 72 hours. He drove completion of presidential policy on national preparedness and implemented the National Preparedness System to build unity of effort to address the nation's most significant risks. Under Fugate’s leadership, FEMA fostered a balanced, community- oriented approach to emergency management that builds sustainable and resilient communities before and after disaster strikes. Fugate oversaw a dramatic increase in online registration for federal disaster assistance through a streamlined, single front-door portal. He also directed the creation of a FEMA app that enables FEMA response efforts through public reporting functionality, supports individuals and families with preparedness tips and hazard alerts, and helps survivors access FEMA assistance when disaster strikes. From 2001-09, he served as Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's emergency management director. In 2004, Fugate managed the largest federal disaster response in Florida history as four major hurricanes - Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne - impacted the state in quick succession. In 2005, Florida was again impacted by major disasters when three more hurricanes - Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma - made landfall in the state.
    [Show full text]