Preliminary Damage Assessments

What is a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA)?

The PDA process is a mechanism used to determine the impact and magnitude of damage caused by a disaster.  It summarizes resulting needs of individuals, businesses, public sector, and community as a whole. 

A preliminary damage assessment team reviews the types of damage or emergency costs incurred by the state, and the impact to critical facilities, such as:

They will also look at;

Additional data from the Red Cross or other local voluntary agencies may also be reviewed.  During the assessment, the team will collect estimates of the expenses and damages.

Who is on the PDA team?

Preliminary damage assessment teams are comprised of personnel from FEMA, the state's emergency management agency, county and local officials and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

How is the PDA used?

PDAs are considered, along with several other factors, in determining whether a disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and the affected local governments, and that Federal assistance is necessary.

The PDA is typically used as a basis for a State Governor's request for a major disaster or emergency declaration when it shows the cost of response efforts, such as emergency personnel overtime, other emergency services, and damage to citizens, is beyond state and local recovery capabilities.

The President considers the PDA as one of the factors in making a determination whether to declare a major disaster or emergency in response to the Governor's request. Learn more about evaluating a request for a major disaster declaration.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 23-Jul-2008 08:21:02 EDT