Persons with Disabilities and Tohoku-Kanto GreatEarthquake

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Relief Headquarters for Persons with Disabilities of Tohoku-Kanto Great Earthquake

Thank you very much for visiting "DPI-Japan Update".

Currently, this blog is sending you the updates from the "Relief Headquarters for Persons with Disabilities of Tohoku-Kanto Great Earthquake".

This HQ is organized by persons with disabilities to support persons with disabilities affected by the great earthquake.

For more information on this HQ, please see this (MSWord) (PDF).
Message from Shoji Nakanishi, the Director
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
---Donation from overseas---

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‘Too Late’ for Some Tsunami Victims to Rebuild on Japanese Coast - NYTimes.com

Image via CrunchBaseBy MICHAEL WINES

A week after the tsunami obliterated most of this northern Japanese city’s seafront and not a little of its inland, the first handful of shopkeepers and their employees were outdoors shoveling mud and hauling wreckage from their businesses, signs of rebirth after this region’s worst catastrophe in memory.

Kunio Imakawa, a 75-year-old barber, was not among them.

Mr. Imakawa and his wife, Shizuko, lost his three-chair barber shop, their second-floor apartment and all their belongings in the tsunami. Rebuilding would mean starting from scratch. And he said that simple math, calculated in yen and in years, showed it was not worth the effort.


“Young people would think, ‘Maybe there’s another way,’ ” he said last week as he sprawled with 1,600 other refugees in a chilly local sports arena. “But I’m too old. My legs have problems."

“It’s too late to start over.”
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Moving Mental Health into the Disaster-Preparedness Spotlight — NEJM

by Katherine Yun, M.D., Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H. and Pamela S. Hyde, J.D

Lessons from previous incidents suggest that preparation for and response to communities' mental and psychosocial needs after a disaster require awareness of the expected behavioral health effects, understanding of the population at risk, knowledge of existing community support services, and channels for coordinating expertise among nonprofit, academic, clinical, and government institutions at the local, state, and national levels. Given the current profound environmental and economic disruption in the Gulf region, the potential effects on behavioral health include increased rates of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders; exacerbation of existing mental illnesses; increased rates of somatic manifestations of stress; and increased rates of child abuse and intimate-partner violence.4 Information about the population at risk may be derived in part from traditional data sources, such as the census, but more complete information requires access to local knowledge, particularly from organizations that work with historically marginalized populations. In addition, key local informants can impart crucial information about existing community services, permitting coordination among local, state, and national organizations.

Disaster response must build on the framework of existing systems. Five years after Katrina, the infrastructure for mental health and substance-abuse services in the Gulf region has evolved, but substantial challenges remain. Assets include programs, such as Reach NOLA, that train community mental health workers, using models for community engagement and peer-to-peer support. Safety-net providers have developed mobile medical units, with increasing colocation of mental and general health services. And since Katrina, grassroots organizations have empowered communities that are increasingly savvy about relevant research, disasters, and bureaucracy.

Governments' public health preparedness has also advanced considerably. Public health surveillance systems fortified during the 2009 response to the H1N1 influenza epidemic began collecting oil-related health information soon after the explosion; public health officials are exploring the use of similar methods for mental health surveillance. Through established relationships with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), state health departments have coordinated local public health and behavioral health responses in consultation with national public health experts.

Still, we are not where we need to be. There are too few providers of mental health and substance-abuse services and too many barriers to care. Safety-net services are located predominantly in large cities, rather than coastal towns, and much of the affected area is medically underserved. In smaller communities, services are scarce for immigrants such as Vietnamese-American fishing families. Deep-seated negative public perceptions and discrimination against people with mental illnesses or addictions, compounded by suspicion of government and research institutions, make it challenging to get people in emotional distress — including health care providers — to seek or accept interventions. And there is little generalizable research on ways of reducing long-term mental health effects and rates of substance abuse after a disaster.

To enable quicker response and recovery, surveillance systems for mental illness and substance abuse must be strengthened through broader intellectual investment in a conceptual framework and technical requirements.5 Some current surveillance approaches, such as tracking calls to poison-control centers and domestic-violence hotlines, are already being applied. Other methods, such as syndromic surveillance, require refinement, given the varied somatic manifestations of stress and the potential reluctance of historically marginalized populations to seek mental health or substance-abuse services. Again, local engagement is key: community agencies can alert public health officials to emerging issues.
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Disaster Planning Resource Tools for Older Adults and Their Caregivers

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The Hartford and the MIT AgeLab have recently made available online two resources tools to help older adults and their caregivers better prepare for a natural disaster. Both are obtainable at no charge.

The booklet, The Calm Before the Storm: Family Conversations about Disaster Planning, Caregiving, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia was developed from research conducted with family caregivers in different parts of the United States. It includes a variety of worksheets, checklists and helpful resources.

To download a copy of the booklet or to order a free printed copy, please go to http://www.thehartford.com/calmbeforethestorm/

The brochure, It Could Happen to Me: Family Conversations about Disaster Planning is based on research conducted with people age 50 and older in different parts of the United States, and interviews with claim adjusters from The Hartford who work with people who have experienced catastrophic losses due to natural disaster.

To download a copy of the brochure or to order a free printed copy, please go to http://www.thehartford.com/talkaboutdisasterplanning/

To learn more about The Hartford Financial Services Group, please go to http://www.thehartford.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=HIG/Page/LandingPage1&cid=1150850341187&hp=true

To learn more about MIT AgeLab, please go to http://agelab.mit.edu/

September Is National Preparedness Month

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This September marks the seventh annual National Preparedness Month (NPM). Led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign in partnership with Citizen Corps and The Advertising Council, NPM is a nationwide effort encouraging individuals, families, businesses and communities to work together and take action to prepare for emergencies.

NPM Coalition members will sponsor events and activities throughout the month highlighting the steps that individuals, families and communities can take to prepare. FEMA recently announced that more than 1,900 national, regional, tribal, state, and local organizations and businesses have pledged their support and joined the 2010 National Preparedness Month Coalition. The registration for the Coalition continues through September.

To register for membership in the coalition or to learn more about the Ready Campaign, including how to make an emergency plan and items to be included in an emergency supply kit, please go to http://www.ready.gov/america/npm10/index.html

To download the Ready Campaign widget, please go to http://www.fema.gov/help/widgets/index.shtm#5

To learn more about FEMA, please go to http://www.fema.gov/

To learn more about Citizen Corps, please go to http://www.citizencorps.gov/

To learn more about The Advertising Council, please go to http://www.adcouncil.org/

U.N. Not Fully Funded To Meet Needs In Haiti, Says Humanitarian Chief; Media Examines Care For Country's Elderly

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(Medical News Today) The U.N. plans to emphasize "the urgent need for more money at a donors conference on Haiti in New York later this month, which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary [Rodham] Clinton will attend," Reuters reports (Davies, 3/11).

In related news, IRIN and the New York Times examine efforts to care for Haiti's aged:

"Elderly people need more attention in the response to January's earthquake in Haiti and more appreciation of the role they can play in the relief effort, say aid workers. ... Not all elderly people affected by the earthquake were in dire need, aid workers and camp residents pointed out. Many are active and simply need to be supported with healthcare, food and shelter so as not to slide into vulnerability," IRIN writes (3/12).

"A preliminary census released last month by an aid organization found that roughly 7 percent, or about 84,000, of the estimated 1.2 million Haitians who had been displaced by the earthquake are over 60 years old. The United Nations also released a report last month stating that despite the privation facing younger women and children in Haiti since the earthquake, it is the elderly who are now by far the most at risk. Older people have been overlooked in relief efforts because they are more frail, less mobile and less vocal in their demands for food and water, United Nations officials explained," the New York Times writes (Urbina, 3/11).
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• U.N. chief urges donors not to forget Haiti (cnn.com)
• UN boss reassures Haiti victims (news.bbc.co.uk)

Blind violinist trapped in Haiti's rubble retreats to musical memories

Image by Daquella manera via Flickr

from the Miami Herald

Somewhere in the dust and blood of his own grave, blind violinist Romel Joseph began to play the strains of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto.

Even with his left leg pinned in the rubble of his collapsed music school, he moved onto Brahms and then Mozart.

By the time he was pulled from the ruins of the New Victorian School 18 hours later, he had recited every concerto in his mind that he had ever performed during his renowned career.

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National Planning Grants and Indian Tribes Planning Grants

National Planning Grants Public or private nonprofit organizations, including labor organizations; faith-based and other community organizations; institutions of higher education; government entities within states or territories (e.g., cities, counties); Indian Tribes; or partnerships or consortia operating in more than one state are eligible. Community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations and intermediary organizations operating in more than one state are encouraged to apply for planning grants. Indian Tribes Planning Grants Indian Tribes are eligible to apply. Indian Tribe is defined as a federally recognized Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Native village, Regional Corporation, or Village Corporation, as defined under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. § 1602), that the United States Government determines is eligible for special programs and services provided under federal law to Indians because of their status as Indians. Indian Tribes also include tribal organizations controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by one of the entities described above.

The purpose of planning grants is to support the development of AmeriCorps programs so applicants are better prepared to compete for a multi-state AmeriCorps grant in the following grant cycle. These grants are awarded for 12 months. They may not be used to support AmeriCorps members. National Planning Grant applicants must not have previously received a multi-state AmeriCorps grant and must be interested in applying for AmeriCorps funding for a program that will operate in two or more states. Indian Tribes Planning Grant applicants must not have received an AmeriCorps grant in the past and must be an Indian Tribe.

Link to Full Announcement

Eligibility
State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
Individuals

Additional Information on Eligibility:

National Planning Grants Public or private nonprofit organizations, including labor organizations; faith-based and other community organizations; institutions of higher education; government entities within states or territories (e.g., cities, counties); Indian Tribes; or partnerships or consortia operating in more than one state are eligible. Community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations and intermediary organizations operating in more than one state are encouraged to apply for planning grants. Indian Tribes Planning Grants Indian Tribes are eligible to apply. Indian Tribe is defined as a federally recognized Indian Tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Native village, Regional Corporation, or Village Corporation, as defined under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. § 1602), that the United States Government determines is eligible for special programs and services provided under federal law to Indians because of their status as Indians. Indian Tribes also include tribal organizations controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by one of the entities described above.

Past Experiences Offer Recovery Lessons for Hurricanes Ike and Gustav and Future Disasters

Statement of Stanley J. Czerwinski, GAO Director Strategic Issues
Before the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives

Lessons from past disasters provide a potentially valuable source of information for all levels of government as they seek to meet the many challenges of recovering from a major disaster. For affected state and local jurisdictions, good practices to consider include the following:

• Creating a clear, implementable, and timely recovery plan can provide communities with a road map for the recovery process. Just 2 months after the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan, the city created a recovery plan with these elements.

• Providing financial and technical capacity facilitates jurisdictions’ ability to implement federal disaster programs. For example, loans and technical assistance provided after past disasters helped communities better navigate the wide range of federal disaster programs.

• Implementing business recovery strategies to minimize business relocations helps small businesses adapt to postdisaster market conditions. For example, to encourage businesses to remain in the city Grand Forks after the 1997 flood, the city forgave loans for businesses that stayed in the city.

• Adopting a comprehensive approach toward combating fraud, waste, and abuse protects both disaster victims from contractor fraud and public funds from fraudulent applicants. Controls to combat such activities before, during, and after a disaster can deter such activities, including instances of contractor fraud.

On the federal level, experiences with FEMA’s Public Assistance grant program after the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes illustrated a variety of challenges in the day-to-day operation of the program that could be faced again by Gulf Coast states recoveringfrom Hurricanes Ike and Gustav or other disasters in the future. These include the following:

• Challenges using program flexibilities to respond to the postdisaster needs of grant applicants and determining project scope. For example, applicants reported needing additional flexibility when rebuilding to address significant population changes after the storm.

• Challenges in sharing information among federal, state, and local officials during project development that at times slowed the process. For example, some applicants in Louisiana told us of the need to repeatedly resubmit key project documents because of the lack of an effective system to share such documentation.

Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) Proposed Study

This study will compare families transitioning from stepped-up rents (i.e., Phase I families) and $0 rent (i.e., Phase II/Phase III families) to market rate or assisted housing and measure their outcomes over time. This Information Collection would enable the Department to answer the question of how do you transition people most effectively from rental assistance to market rate housing after a disaster. Additionally, since DHAP differs from the regular Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, this study will enable HUD to see if DHAP vouchers and their differential rents are having a different effect on housing, employment, education, health, and other outcomes after DHAP ends February 28, 2009.

Resilience in the face of disaster

Genetics, problem-solving skills and relationships affect how well someone bounces back. But resiliency can also be learned.

Family Support 360 Presentation: TA Call on Emergency Preparedness

This is a presentation hosted by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and their TA providers, BETAH Associates, which includes a discussion of emergency preparedness, with a focus on individuals with disabilities. The presentation was given by Patricia A. Morrissey, Commissioner of the federal Administration on Developmental Disabilities. The last few slides contain a list of additional resources. Topic(s): Developmental/Psychiatric Disabilities, Organizational Change, Physical Disabilities Presentation: PowerPoint PDF

Disaster Assistance for State Units on Aging (SUAs) and Title VI Tribal Organizations in National Disasters Declared by the President

Grants awarded under this announcement are to provide disaster reimbursement and assistance funds to those State Units on Aging (SUAs) and tribal organizations who are currently receiving a grant under Title VI of the Older Americans Act (OAA), as amended. These funds only become available when the President declares a National Disaster and may only be used in those areas designated in the Disaster Declaration issued by the President of the United States. Eligible SUAs and Title VI grantees should discuss all disaster applications with Regional staff before submitting a formal application. The amount of funds requested should be discussed with Regional staff before the application is completed. Providing a draft of the planned application will help expedite the processing of an award. Applicants are also encouraged to coordinate with the State Emergency Management Office in developing information for their application. State Units on Aging (SUAs) and federally recognized tribal organizations currently receiving a grant under Title VI of the Older Americans Act must submit proposals electronically via www.grants.gov. At www.grants.gov, you will be able to download a copy of the application packet, complete it off-line, and then upload and submit the application via the Grants.gov website.

AmeriCorps National Planning and Tribal Planning Grants

What are AmeriCorps State and National grants?
Subject to the availability of appropriations for fiscal year 2009, the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) announces the anticipated availability of approximately $21,288,000 to award new and re-competing AmeriCorps State and National grants.

The grants in AmeriCorps State are: State Competitive, Territories Competitive, States without Commissions, and State Education Award Program (EAP).

The grants in AmeriCorps National are: National EAP, National Direct, National Professional Corps, National Planning, and Indian Tribes.

Is my organization eligible and to whom do we apply?

If your organization works in just one state, please contact your state commission, which can be found here: http://www.nationalservice.org/about/contact/statecommission.asp.
You will apply to them.

If your organization works in more than one state, you are eligible to apply for a national grant. You will apply directly to the Corporation. If your organization is an Indian Tribe you may apply through your state commission, or directly to the Corporation. See the 2009 Notice of Federal Funding Opportunity for more information, found here: http://www.nationalservice.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa_detail.asp?tbl_nofa_id=66

If you are submitting a request for continuation in 2009, please see the Application Instructions, which include information for continuation applications, found here: http://www.americorps.gov/for_organizations/funding/nofa.asp.

Notice of Intent to Apply:
In order to help us gauge the number of applications we are likely to receive, please send an e-mail prior to the deadline to americorpsnational@cns.gov , for National applicants. National applicants should state the competition for which you will be applying. Although submission of the notice of intent to apply is not mandatory, your e-mail will help the Corporation to plan more efficiently for review.

More Information on AmeriCorps State and National
For more than a decade, the Corporation for National and Community Service—through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve programs—has mobilized a new generation of engaged citizens. This year, more than 1.8 million individuals of all ages and backgrounds will serve through these programs. They will help thousands of national and community nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, schools, and local agencies meet local needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other critical areas.

Roughly three quarters of all AmeriCorps grant funding goes to Governor-appointed state service commissions, which award subgrants to nonprofit organizations in their states. These organizations recruit AmeriCorps members to respond to local needs.

The Corporation distributes most of the remainder of the grant funding directly to organizations operating in more than one state.

The Corporation’s mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.

In the FY 2009 competition, the Corporation will give special consideration to projects that address one or a combination of five strategic initiatives, listed below, that meet critical needs of our nation, achieve national service goals, and address community problems.
1. Mobilizing more volunteers.
2. Ensuring a brighter future for all of America’s youth.
3. Engaging students in communities.
4. Harnessing Baby Boomers’ experience.
5. Helping communities recover from and prepare for disasters.

In 2009, the Corporation will also give special consideration to programs designed to engage veterans as service recipients or providers. The Corporation reserves the right to re-focus program dollars in the event of disaster or other compelling need. Additional programs and program models that may receive special consideration in the selection process are described in the AmeriCorps regulations Section 2522.450. You can find the regulations here: http://www.americorps.gov/for_organizations/manage/index.asp . You are encouraged to integrate the priorities and initiatives into your program design, where they logically align with your organizational mission and objectives.

For more information contact your state commission, which you can find here http://www.nationalservice.org/about/contact/statecommission.asp  if you are interested in the State grant program. Contact (202) 606-7508 if you are interested in the National grant program.

FEMA: Notice of Adjustment of Disaster Grant Amounts

FEMA gives notice of an increase of the maximum amount of any Small Project Grant made to the State, local government, or to the owner or operator of an eligible private nonprofit facility, under section 422 of the Stafford Act, to $64,200 for all disasters declared on or after October 1, 2008.

FEMA: Maximum Amount of Assistance Under the Individuals and Households Program

SUMMARY: FEMA gives notice of the maximum amount for assistance under the Individuals and Households Program for emergencies and major disasters declared on or after October 1, 2008. The maximum amount of IHP financial assistance provided to an individual or household under section 408 of the Stafford Act with respect to any single emergency or major disaster is $30,300. DATES: Effective Date: October 1, 2008, and applies to emergencies and major disasters declared on or after October 1, 2008.

Mailmen Could Become Couriers for Anthrax Drugs in Emergency

Wall Street Journal Health Blog posted by Posted by Jacob Goldstein Say there’s an anthrax attack in a major U.S. city, and you want to get antibiotics to everybody in town. It’s a problem federal health officials have been trying to crack for years, and they think they’ve found an answer: The U.S. Postal Service. “We have found letter carriers to be the federal government’s quickest and surest way of getting pills to whole communities,” the blogger Mike Leavitt, who also runs the Department of Health and Human Services, tells the Washington Post. In a recent test of the distribution strategy, 50 mail carriers in Philly reached 55,000 households in less than eight hours, the Post says.

GAO Report: Insights for Recovering from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav and Other Recent Natural Disasters

While receiving millions of dollars in federal assistance, state and local governments bear the main responsibility for helping communities cope with the destruction left in the wake of major disasters. Now that the wind and storm surge from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav have passed and the Midwest flood waters have subsided, state and local governments face a myriad of decisions regarding the short- and long-term recovery of their communities. We have seen that actions taken shortly after a major disaster and during the early stages of the recovery process can have a significant impact on the success of a community’s long-term recovery. Accordingly, this is a critical time for communities affected by these major disasters. Insights drawn from state and local governments that have experienced previous major disasters may provide a valuable opportunity for officials to anticipate challenges and adopt appropriate strategies and approaches early on in the recovery process. There is no one right way for how state and local governments should manage recovery from a major disaster, nor is there a recipe of techniques that fits all situations. While many of the practices we describe in this report were tailored to the specific needs and conditions of a particular disaster, taken together, they can provide state and local officials with a set of tools and approaches to consider as they move forward in the process of recovering from major disasters. Drawing on experiences from six major disasters that occurred from 1989 to 2005, GAO identified the following selected insights:

• Create a clear, implementable, and timely recovery plan.
• Build state and local capacity for recovery.
• Implement strategies for businesses recovery.
• Adopt a comprehensive approach toward combating fraud, waste, and abuse.

Texas Hot Line for Homebound Persons with Disabilities in Areas Damaged by Hurricane Ike

If you have concerns regarding persons with disabilities in Houston, Beaumont, Orange and Port Arthur areas that are home-bound, the Texas Department on Aging and Disabilities has established a hot line, (713) 558–9622, that can be called. Two meals a day, water and ice are presently being provided. A door to door inspection is being undertaken to observe the status and disposition of those individuals.

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.