Resources

The CDBG-DR grantee’s recovery administration team may need to adjust existing local government policies and procedures in order to be compliant with federal government policies that are applicable to federal disaster recovery programs. This may effect guidelines regarding equipment usage, procurement of goods and services and staffing. This can be a challenging process as changes… Read more

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) help ensure all components of the CDBG-DR program remain in compliance with local, state and federal regulations. CDBG-DR grantees must develop SOPs for CDBG-DR program operation, grants management, financial management and human resources, among others such as duplication of benefits and homeowner appeals policies.

As part of the Action Plan, CDBG-DR grantees develop internal and public-facing communications plans to notify individuals and small businesses about available recovery assistance and the CDBG-DR application process.  Grantees should develop and disseminate public information that is specific to and comprehensible by each applicant stakeholder group, such as homeowners, renters and business owners.

Life safety is the highest priority during the response phase following a disaster. The emergency operations center (EOC) will direct local health and safety departments throughout the entire process, dispatching emergency medical services (EMS) to assist citizens as soon as it is safe to do so.

Localities must typically perform an initial damage assessment before they receive resources and assistance from state and federal agencies and other relief organizations. During the assessment, the emergency management team conducts a preliminary onsite evaluation of the damage. This includes the extent of damage and repair and replacement estimates.

Immediately following a disaster, localities focus on restoring and replacing critical infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, water and utilities and healthcare facilities. The sooner these basic needs are met, the sooner the community will feel that it is returning to normal, even if the long-term recovery process will not be complete for months or… Read more

During disaster response, emergency management departments need to let the public know about any emergency alerts, evacuations, and details about emergency assistance and relief efforts. Yet natural disasters often disrupt standard communication channels, which can make effective communication very difficult.

During a disaster, localities need to know who their stakeholders are and how they will help. Likewise, stakeholders need to know what is expected of them during a disaster. The disaster communications plan should include a prioritized list of all stakeholders, as well as all protocols for communicating with each stakeholder group.

A locality’s incident command system directs the rescue effort when a natural disaster strikes. The emergency operations center (EOC) is responsible for coordinating and supporting incident command, and monitoring and directing rescue needs.

Citizens displaced by a natural disaster often turn to local governments first. Accordingly, localities must have a detailed approach for how and where to set up temporary shelters. They also need plans for communicating shelter details to the public and for transportation to shelter locations.