Immediately after disaster strikes, localities must quickly pull together disaster recovery teams and find funding for recovery efforts. Although any natural disaster can be devastating, community leaders can take a few strategic steps at the very start of post-disaster response to set the community up for immediate and long-term recovery success, allowing them to rebuild stronger… Read more
Disaster recovery can be a long, drawn-out process that takes a toll not only the community members, but also on local governments that have to provide routine services while also working to rebuild and restore the community. When disaster recovery exceeds the capacity of a local governments’ staffing capabilities and skillsets, consulting with a small,… Read more
Communities who have been through a presidentially declared disaster cannot stress enough the importance of detailed, proper record keeping systems from the day the disaster strikes, if not before. Use these tips to setup a record keeping system in your own locality that ensures compliance with FEMA documentation requirements. Have a well-defined system in… Read more
Include project timelines, cost estimates and designated roles and responsibilities in written project execution plans to help ensure FEMA compliance. Seek help from your Public Assistance Coordinator (PAC) to provide technical assistance and ensure projects are compliant with Public Assistance guidelines.
Natural disasters often strike with little warning. However, if your locality is in an area that experiences disasters in a particular season (such as hurricanes or severe snowstorms), taking a proactive approach to disaster planning each year as the season approaches can make a noticeable difference in your ability to respond and recover if a disaster… Read more
Throughout the disaster recovery process, local governments must ensure that all communications efforts send a consistent, accurate message to citizens, the media, vendors, the business community, volunteers and internal departments. This is much more easily managed with a single point of contact for communications. This contact will typically be the designated Public Information Officer (PIO),… Read more
Following a natural disaster, most communities want as much information as possible from FEMA; yet communicating with FEMA is often a new process for local officials. Use these tips to help communicate with FEMA during funding disbursement. FEMA Public Assistance Coordinators (PAC) can be used to inform localities about special considerations such as insurance, hazard mitigation opportunities,… Read more
Grantees must ensure that they are following proper documentation and program requirements in order to ensure that they are compliant with the CDBG-DR program. Yet this can be easier said than done. Staff managing the recovery process can be overwhelmed with additional work. Follow these tips to make sure that your program is able to… Read more
Following a disaster, public information officers, and local leaders, officials and staff will need to communicate with homeowners about FEMA Individual Assistance (IA). Homeowners can apply for assistance in recovering from a disaster through the FEMA IA program. First, let homeowners know about the availability of FEMA Individual Assistance. Following a disaster declaration, homeowners… Read more
All stakeholders involved in your locality’s natural disaster response effort must be aware of the and their role and responsibilities in it. Follow these tips to ensure that the EOP is implemented properly. Assign Clear Responsibilities The EOP should lay out a clear . Ensuring that every department has a clear understanding of their responsibilities… Read more
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