Improve emergency response plans

Study of disaster recovery underway

Updated: Monday, January 11th, 2010 | By Robert Farley

On Aug. 27, 2009, FEMA administrator W. Craig Fugate announced the launch of the development of a National Disaster Recovery Framework.

In a Sept. 26, 2009, letter, Fugate explained the project like this: "The Northridge Earthquake, Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as other disasters, provided valuable lessons in how communities can renew and rebuild, but also identified critical challenges that we must address as a nation to ensure that the necessary resources and capabilities are in place. Our goal is to create a comprehensive coordinating structure that will enhance our ability to work together and effectively deliver recovery assistance. This is a major undertaking, the success of which will hinge on the active engagement of our stakeholders nationwide."

The group, co-chaired by the secretaries of Homeland Security, and Housing and Urban Development will look for areas to improve collaboration among federal agencies and among the federal government and state and local governments.

The final draft of the framework is due June 1, 2010.

By the end of 2010, the Department of Homeland Security will release a revised National Incident Management System, which provides a national framework to enable federal, state and local governments, as well as nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate the effects of incidents.

Lastly, the Department of Homeland Security has committed to providing $39 million in grant funding in 2010 for the Metropolitan Medical Response System, which helps coordinate the response of emergency management, health and medical systems responding to mass-casualty incidents.

We move this Promise to In the Works.

Sources:

FEMA Web site, National Disaster Recovery Framework Initiative, Aug. 27, 2009

FEMA Web site, Letter from Administrator, Craig Fugate, to stakeholders on the launch of the development of a National Disaster Recovery Framework, Sept. 16, 2009

Disaster Recovery Working Group, Long-Term Disaster Recovery Working Group Purpose Statement

FEMA, About the National Incident Management System (NIMS)

Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Emergency Preparedness, Metropolitan Medical Response System

FEMA, FY 2010 Homeland Security Grant Program