The National Disaster Recovery Agency (FEMA)

“On April 1, 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed the executive order that created the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”1.Year in and out, a disaster can strike at any moment and put millions of people in danger and wreck billions of dollars’ worth of property. But, this is where the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) steps in and up to the plate. FEMA works “as part of a team helping communities reduce their risk, helping emergency officials prepare for all hazards, and helping people get back on their feet after their lives are disrupted by a disaster.”2 FEMA’s primary focus is to coordinate federal and logistical operations “to save and sustain lives, minimize suffering, and protect property in a timely and effective manner in

It is also written for a larger audience of non-Federal Government executives, private sector and nongovernmental organization (NGO) leaders, emergency managers, community development professionals and disaster recovery practitioners1 . Recovery begins with pre-disaster preparedness and includes a wide range of planning activities. The NDRF clarifies the roles and responsibilities for stakeholders in recovery, both pre- and post-disaster. It recognizes that recovery is a continuum and that there is opportunity within recovery. It also recognizes that when a disaster occurs, it impacts some segments of the population more than others. The ability of a community to accelerate the recovery process begins with its efforts in pre-disaster preparedness, mitigation and recovery capacity building. These efforts result in a resilient community with an improved ability to withstand, respond to and recover from disasters. Timely decisions in response to disaster impacts can significantly reduce recovery time and cost. The NDRF describes key principles and steps for community recovery planning and implementation. It promotes a process in which the impacted community fully engages and considers the needs of all its members. A key

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) provides standard command and management structures that apply to response. This common system enables responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines to work together to respond to incidents. Governments at all levels should organize to support effective response. The leader of each government organization should vest the official responsible for response activities with sufficient authority to meet the organization’s responsibilities under the Framework. Government agencies at all levels are encouraged to conduct a thorough, systematic inventory of their response resources and to conform to NIMS organizational and management principles as noted above. Government agencies should also ensure they have a cadre of personnel (which can include full-time employees, temporary or surge personnel, and contractors) who are trained in incident management and response principles and organized into teams. Personnel and equipment can be organized to provide a particular function or mission capability. Governments at all levels should use the NIMS resource management principles described below to enhance response capabilities. • Individual Resources. Resources are organized by category, kind,