GAO issues recommendations for FEMA preparedness

The Government Accountability Office has issued a series of recommendations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding efforts to strengthen national preparedness.

The GAO indicated while FEMA uses several scenarios, including pandemic influenza similar to COVID-19, to allow states and territories to assess emergency response and recovery capabilities – the agency has not used the information to determine the full scope of national needs. And, per the GAO, there is a void in determining what resources the federal government would need to close the gaps.

The GAO also maintains FEMA does not possess a formal mechanism to track corrective actions and lacks guidance on sharing after-action reports with key external stakeholders.

The GAO’s scope of work involved evaluating agency guidance, as well as analyzing 2013 to 2017 capability data, which served as the most current available; conducting site visits to five states; and interviewing FEMA, state, and local emergency management officials.

The GAO issued recommendations outlining FEMA determine what steps are needed to address emergency management capability gaps, and communicate it to key stakeholders; prioritize completion of after-action reviews; track corrective actions; and develop guidance on sharing findings externally.

The GAO said the Department of Homeland Security agreed with the recommendations and FEMA is taking action in response.