FEMA Should More Fully Assess Organizations’ Mass Care Capabilities

Voluntary organizations have traditionally played a major role in the nation’s response to disasters, but the response to Hurricane Katrina raised concerns about their ability to handle large-scale disasters. This report examines (1) the roles of five voluntary organizations in providing mass care and other services, (2) the steps they have taken to improve service delivery, (3) their current capabilities for responding to mass care needs, and (4) the challenges they face in preparing for large-scale disasters. To address these questions, GAO reviewed the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, the Southern Baptist Convention, Catholic Charities USA, and United Way of America; interviewed officials from these organizations and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); reviewed data and laws; and visited four high-risk metro areas—Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Washington, D.C. What GAO Found The five voluntary organizations we reviewed are highly diverse in their focus and response structures. They also constitute a major source of the nation’s mass care and related disaster services and are integrated into the 2008 National Response Framework. The Red Cross in particular—the only one whose core mission is disaster response—has a federally designated support role to government under the mass care provision of this Framework. While the Red Cross no longer serves as the primary agency for coordinating government mass care services—as under the earlier 2004 National Plan—it is expected to support FEMA by providing staff and expertise, among other things. FEMA and the Red Cross agree on the Red Cross’s role in a catastrophic disaster, but it is not clearly documented. While FEMA recognized the need to update the 2006 Catastrophic Incident Supplement to conform with the Framework, it does not yet have a time frame for doing so. Since Katrina, the organizations we studied have taken steps to strengthen their service delivery by expanding coverage and upgrading their logistical and communications systems. The Red Cross, in particular, is realigning its regional chapters to better support its local chapters and improve efficiency and establishing new partnerships with local community-based organizations. Most recently, however, a budget shortfall has prompted the organization to reduce staff and alter its approach to supporting FEMA and state emergency management agencies. While Red Cross officials maintain that these changes will not affect improvements to its mass care service infrastructure, it has also recently requested federal funding for its governmental responsibilities. Capabilities assessments are preliminary, but current evidence suggests that in a worst-case large-scale disaster, the projected need for mass care services would far exceed the capabilities of these voluntary organizations without government and other assistance—despite voluntary organizations’ substantial resources locally and nationally. Voluntary organizations also faced shortages in trained volunteers, as well as other limitations that affected their mass care capabilities. Meanwhile, FEMA’s initial assessment does not necessarily include the sheltering capabilities of many voluntary organizations and does not yet address feeding capabilities outside of shelters. In addition, the ability to assess mass care capabilities and coordinate in disasters is currently hindered by a lack of standard terminology and measures for mass care resources, and efforts are under way to develop such standards. Finding and training more personnel, dedicating more resources to preparedness, and working more closely with local governments are ongoing challenges for voluntary organizations. A shortage of staff and volunteers was most commonly cited, but we also found they had difficulty seeking and dedicating funds for preparedness, in part because of competing priorities. However, the guidance for FEMA preparedness grants to states and localities was also not sufficiently explicit with regard to using such funds to support the efforts of voluntary organizations. What GAO Recommends GAO recommends that FEMA update and document the Red Cross’s role in a catastrophic event, take steps to incorporate voluntary organizations’ capabilities in its assessments, and clarify funding guidance for certain disaster preparedness grants. In commenting on the draft report, FEMA agreed with two recommendations, but disagreed with the recommendation to better incorporate voluntary organizations in assessments. We continue to believe such efforts are important for preparedness.

FEMA-Collection of Overpayments

SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has terminated the current procedures for the recoupment of overpayments of disaster assistance made pursuant to Section 408 of the Stafford Act, in connection with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Recoupment notices previously sent to individual disaster applicants in connection with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are hereby withdrawn. FEMA will institute new recoupment proceedings where warranted on an individual basis pursuant to the procedures established by regulation for the administrative collection of debts.

``Difficult Development Areas'' for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit

This notice designates DDAs for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The designations of DDAs in this notice are based on final Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Fair Market Rents (FMRs), FY2008 income limits, and 2000 Census population counts, as explained below. This notice also lists those areas treated as DDAs under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 (GO Zone Act) (Pub. L. 109-135; the GO Zone Act, as amended by the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007). Specifically, the GO Zone Act provides that areas ``determined by the President to warrant individual or individual and public assistance from the federal government under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act)'' as a result of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, or Wilma: (1) Shall be treated as DDAs designated under subclause (I) of Internal Revenue Code section 42(d)(5)(C)(iii) (i.e., areas designated by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development as having high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area median gross income (AMGI)), and (2) shall not be taken into account for purposes of applying the limitation under subclause II of such section (i.e., the 20 percent cap on the total population of designated areas). The designations of QCTs under section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) published September 28, 2006 (71 FR 57234) remain in effect.

Household Outcomes Survey for FEMA's Alternative Housing Pilot

Federal Register Notice SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal. The proposed information collection will collect household outcome data from families who have received housing under FEMA's Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP). HUD is conducting an evaluation of AHPP. Four States affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita received AHPP grants to test out alternative approaches to providing temporary housing after a disaster. HUD is charged with measuring what benefits and costs are associated with each of the alternatives being implemented by the States. Measuring the program impact on health, satisfaction, and general well-being of the occupants is a key part of the evaluation. This household outcomes survey will collect information that will be used to evaluate the impact of various housing alternatives on the quality of life of households who participate in the program.

Medicaid - Additional Funds for MS & LA Hurricane Katrina Healthcare Provider Stabilization

Medicaid Program; Notice of Single-Source Grant Award to the States of Louisiana and Mississippi for the Grant Entitled ``Deficit Reduction Act-Hurricane Katrina Healthcare Related Provider Stabilization'' The Secretary has authorized an additional $19.1 million in supplemental grant funds to be made available to the States of Louisiana and Mississippi. Based on the share of total Medicare inpatient payments made to each State's eligible general acute care hospitals and inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) located in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated counties/parishes in calendar year 2006 (the latest and most complete year of Medicare billing data available to us), funding is being allocated in the following proportions: 53 percent to Louisiana ($10,143,671) and 47 percent to Mississippi ($8,956,329).