“2017 Hurricane Season: Oversight of the Federal Response.”
Introduction:
Good morning, Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member McCaskill, and Members of the Committee. My name is
I have been in office for just over four months, and I am proud to be part of an agency that, every day, is helping communities reduce the risks associated with future disasters, as well as assisting disaster survivors all across the country. As I returned to serve at
These historic disasters - each historic in its own right - put to test many ideas and concepts in a way that no intra-Agency dialogue could ever accomplish. In my testimony today, I would like to share with you not only the experiences of recent months, to include the catastrophic wildfires in the Northwest and
2017 Hurricane Season
To say this hurricane season has been historic is an understatement. To date, we've had four hurricanes make landfall this season, three of which have been major hurricanes (Harvey, Irma, and Maria).
Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall in
The impacts of these events are substantial. Roughly 25.8 million people were affected by these three storms - eight percent of the entire
In just over 30 days,
State, local, tribal, and territorial governments, along with the residents in the impacted areas, are the true first responders. Non-profit organizations like those that are members of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOADs) provide crucial services to sustain lives while the rest of the response and recovery infrastructure can be established by emergency managers for longer-term needs. The private sector also plays a critical role in disasters, as businesses work to restore critical services and donate their time and resources - in close coordination with emergency management personnel - to help communities rebound in the wake of disasters. The whole community must be, and is, engaged, involved, and well coordinated.
For our part on the Federal level,
This unprecedented hurricane season has truly tested us as a nation and tested many of our assumptions about what works in disaster response and recovery. While each year the hurricane season comes to an end on
Lessons Learned and Key Priorities for
Whole Community Engagement-Early and Often
All levels of government, along with the private and non-profit sectors, share a responsibility for disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Throughout my time at
State, local, tribal, and territorial governments know their communities and their needs best, and have a critical role in preparing for and responding to disasters in order to manage risk to communities and infrastructure. States also play a critical role in supporting each other through mutual aid agreements like the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). Indeed, many of these mutual aid agreements have been activated during this hurricane season to support affected states,
I plan to work with our partners to identify areas of the collective mission that the Federal government, SLTT governments, and private sector partners may each be in the best position to manage. Throughout this collaborative process, it is important that
For instance, if an event does not rise to the level of a Federal disaster declaration,
The key to working on these and other areas of collaboration with our partners is communication and relationship building. This is why I am exploring options for improving coordination with our partners in order to ensure a quick and effective response after a disaster strikes, and helping improve national resilience. For instance,
We will also examine how
We continue to bolster
Finally, we cannot forget about engaging individuals across America. During a disaster, people in the affected community become the "first responders." We need to empower individuals with the skills necessary to help speed their recovery after an emergency. Do they know how to shut off their own water and gas? Do they check on their neighbors? Do they know CPR?
September was National Preparedness Month, and this year's theme was "Disasters Don't Plan Ahead. You Can." During this campaign and other public awareness campaigns throughout the year, such as "You Are the Help Until Help Arrives,"
Under current law, the
The DRF helped fund response needs related to hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and will also help fund recovery efforts for those events. As of
Because
To date
Currently,
Funding available under the Disaster Cap is recalculated each year based on a formula established by the BCA. However, the Disaster Cap will continue to fall or remain flat over the next few years due to the good fortune of relatively low disaster spending between 2012 and 2016 and the fact that the formula does not take into account emergency funding
This drop in the Disaster Cap could result in constraints on future DRF appropriations and, consequently, insufficient balances in the DRF to support mission operations. This dynamic could lead to an increasing reliance on emergency supplemental appropriations to support basic disaster missions as soon as this fiscal year or FY 2019. We would like to work together with
Simplifying Recovery and Reducing Disaster Costs
My goal is to make navigating
This year,
Following Hurricane Harvey in
Even as we take steps to streamline and simplify assistance, we must strive for a future where disasters cause less disruption in our communities. It's important to acknowledge that the number of Presidential disaster declarations is increasing, as is the cost of disasters to the Federal government. From 1995 through 2004, the President approved 598 disaster declarations with a cost of
Additionally, flooding is the most frequent and costly disaster we face. For example, over 3.24 million flood insurance policies administered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were in areas impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. The NFIP has paid over
Buying Down Risk through Preparedness and Mitigation
Building more resilient communities is the best way to reduce risks to people, property, and taxpayer dollars. I cannot overstate the importance of focusing on investing in mitigation before a disaster strikes. Developing resilient capacity ahead of an incident reduces loss of life and economic disruption. When communities are impacted, they should ensure that they rebuild infrastructure better, tougher, and stronger to protect taxpayer investment and promote economic stability.
Through the
EMA also manages the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program, and the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) grant program that fund projects such as seismic retrofits, safe rooms, and risk reduction for utility and other infrastructure. These funds play a key role in building resilient communities. For example, in
In addition,
HMGP is available to a state following a major disaster declaration, and its funding level is based on the costs associated with that disaster. Each year, we receive more PDM and FMA applications than we are able to fund. This enables
From the preparedness perspective,
Advancing Efforts to Counter Terrorism and Changing Threats
Events of the last several years, including the planned and deliberate violent attacks abroad in
Further, the dollars provided through these grant programs throughout the years are complemented by various counterterrorism training and exercise programs, such as training and exercise programs that address active shooter, complex attack, and nuclear events. And when terrorist events have occurred, as they did in
Addressing Human Capital Challenges and Improving FEMA's Processes
Next Steps and Conclusion
At
These sessions are my first step in a new cycle of listening to stakeholders, including agency employees, SLTT governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, regarding ideas to improve the agency, our processes, and our services. During those sessions, stakeholders discussed the importance of building State-level capacity, reducing risk, streamlining and simplifying recovery, and improving
The 2017 hurricane season has and continues to provide me the opportunity to test the validity of many of the ideas I had coming into this job. We look forward to collaborating with the
Read this original document at: http://www.hsgac.senate.gov/download/testimony-long-2017-10-31
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