National Homeland Security Consortium reviews key emergency management initiatives Laura M. Berkey Government Affairs Manager American Public Works Association Washington, D.C. n December 2009, Teresa Scott, member of APWA’s Emergency Management Committee, attended the National Homeland Security Consortium (NHSC) semi-annual meeting in Santa Fe, N.M., as APWA’s representative. Consortium participants heard from a variety of speakers, namely Tim Manning, FEMA Deputy Administrator for National Preparedness; Richard Reed, Special Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Senior Director for Continuity Policy; and David Kaufman, FEMA Director of Policy and Program Analysis.
the National Disaster Recovery Framework. At the request of President Obama, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan formed a Work Group that has been reaching out to stakeholders seeking input on disaster recovery management issues since October 2009. Moreover, a new interagency website, www.DisasterRecoveryWorkingGroup. gov, was launched to assist federal disaster recovery officials solicit public comments from state, local and tribal partners, and the public.
Tim Manning opened the consortium meeting with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate’s mantra: “FEMA is not the team, but part of the team.” Manning impressed upon NHSC members that FEMA will continue its efforts to reach out to stakeholders and mobilize state and local jurisdictions in an effort to improve catastrophic disaster planning and response operations. Importantly, he emphasized that no two municipalities face the same threats or hazards, whether they are natural or man-made. Accordingly, DHS and FEMA must work to address the various protections communities must be afforded while simultaneously creating consensusdriven emergency management guidelines and policies.
According to Kaufman, stakeholder comments collected thus far have revealed the following emerging themes:
In an effort to streamline homeland security and emergency management policy, Richard Reed provided an update on Homeland Security Presidential Directive-8 (HSPD-8), which was issued by President George W. Bush in 2003 and formally recognizes public works as a first responder. Since the summer of 2009, the White House’s Resilience Directorate has been revising HSPD-8. According to Reed, the draft directorate takes an all-hazards approach to emergency management through the lens of resiliency—a key element of President Obama’s approach to protecting the nation. It is anticipated that the new version of HSPD-8 will encompass the Resilience Directorate’s definition of a resilient nation which is “one in which individuals, communities and our economy can adapt to changing conditions as well as withstand and rapidly recover from disruption due to emergencies.” Currently, the Resilience Directorate is seeking feedback from DHS and FEMA, and will eventually request comments from emergency management stakeholders—including APWA. The agency review is expected to take approximately two months before the draft is made public. APWA also had the opportunity to hear from David Kaufman, who provided an update on the development of 4 APWA Reporter
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It is vital to integrate resilience policy and mitigation practices into disaster planning. Pre-disaster planning, training and public education are key to preparedness and recovery. States must have a supporting, leading role when communities are struck by a disaster. Disaster recovery is an evolving process that must be adaptable to different situations. Applying for disaster assistance funds is often tedious and time consuming. It is imperative that disaster assistance programs be improved so funds reach communities more quickly.
Stakeholders’ contributions will help to develop a report to the President and a National Disaster Recovery Framework. The former will include recommendations for improving long-term disaster recovery, while the latter will provide detailed operations guidance to recovery organizations under existing authorities. A draft of the report will be circulated for public comment in February prior to the President receiving the final report on April 1, 2010. The framework is scheduled to be released in June 2010. The NHSC meeting provided additional insight into the progress of DHS and FEMA’s homeland security and emergency management initiatives, and also afforded APWA the opportunity to interface with Obama Administration officials. As these initiatives move forward, APWA will continue to work closely with key White House, DHS and FEMA staff, and provide insight from the public works perspective. Laura Berkey is the legislative liaison to the Emergency Management Committee. She can be reached at (202) 218-6734 or lberkey@apwa.net.