GAO Study Finds FEMA Has Work to Do

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report detailing its analysis of how FEMA approaches emergency preparedness, response and recovery.  GAO performed the analysis because a lot of federal funds are on the line when it comes to disaster assistance – to the tune of over $450 billion in the last 15 years.  The report, published in June 2019, concludes that although FEMA has made some progress in recent years, more improvement is necessary.

Highlights of the FEMA Analysis

The report highlighted the following FEMA shortcomings:

• Municipalities receiving disaster funds were not provided with guidance in terms of how to rebuild to maximize future resilience.  
• Recovery and response have improved since Hurricane Katrina thanks to an increased emphasis on relationship-building and exercises and drills, but efforts following Hurricane Maria fell short of expectations, especially in Puerto Rico.
• FEMA continues to struggle to ensure adequate staffing and training.
• More consistent performance measures are needed.
• An assessment model to determine municipalities’ capacity to respond and recover without federal assistance must be developed.
• The application process for FEMA assistance needs to be streamlined so that it is less confusing, especially as it relates to the elderly or disabled. 

Again, the report, by its very nature, steers toward the critical, but it is important to understand that this is an ongoing, perhaps never-ending process to which FEMA has made great strides.  It’s similar to the After Action Reports in the utility industry that are utilized to document lessons learned.  Because disasters are low in frequency but high in severity, improvement opportunities will always reveal themselves over time. 

I’m sure getting audited by the GAO is not a pleasant experience for FEMA decision-makers, but it provides a clear and direct path toward continuous improvement.  Without an honest, unbiased assessment on current performance, it would be hard for FEMA – or any other entity – to adopt a culture and philosophy that emphasizes continuous improvement.