FEMA Responds to GAO Audit on Katrina/Rita Public Assistance
Release Date: December 22, 2008
Release Number: 1603-825
» More Information on Louisiana Hurricane Katrina
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), in a recently published report, identified shortfalls related to FEMA's recovery operations after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The audit findings describe challenges that were faced in the sharing of information, developing of projects and making of key project decisions.
FEMA generally agrees with many of the findings and has taken aggressive steps to remedy the identified shortfalls. FEMA continues to coordinate an enormous undertaking in the Gulf Coast region. FEMA's Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office (LATRO), under the umbrella of the Gulf Coast Recovery Office, is working closely in collaboration with partner state and local agencies to facilitate completion of all eligible projects.
As of Dec. 12, 2008, FEMA has given to the state of Louisiana more than $7.3 billion of an estimated $8.6 billion in disaster public assistance reimbursement. Under the Stafford Act, it is the state's responsibility to distribute funding to applicants. The state is responsible for verifying the applicants have completed the work and are eligible for reimbursement. The state can also advance obligated funds to assist parishes and municipalities with any cash flow issues in getting projects started. As of Dec. 12, 2008, $3.9 billion of the funds FEMA provided to Louisiana has been distributed to applicants.
FEMA submitted official comments in response that were published as Appendix II in the final report to GAO that describe the numerous ways the agency has improved operations. Below is a summary of the key points:
- FEMA has been applying lessons learned during the initial and response phase of hurricanes Katrina and Rita to enhance long-term recovery efforts.
- Specifically, FEMA instituted operational and programmatic improvements that directly benefited the response and ongoing recovery to hurricanes Gustav and Ike. These have included enhancements in recruitment and training of experienced staff, initiatives to institute staffing continuity, and greater collaboration and transparency with state and local partners.
- FEMA is continuing a concerted effort to hire and train longer-term local staff for key leadership and management positions. These individuals are familiar with the area and are hired for full-time positions to provide continuity in the operation. FEMA's commitment to this staffing model, along with a more deliberate approach to staffing overall, has led to a more stable organizational structure in the past two years.
- To address continuity and decision-making issues, FEMA instituted training courses tailored to the needs of new staff mobilizing to the disaster, on-site staff transitioning into new assignments, and experienced staff rejoining the operation following a significant period away from the disaster.
- FEMA also developed customized databases and protocols to facilitate smooth transitions among FEMA staff as they assimilate into operations and transition to new project assignments.
- FEMA has maintained a commitment to collaborate and share information and resources with the states and has put into place enhanced data and reporting resources to improve administration of the public assistance program in the Gulf Coast and in future disasters. For example, FEMA created:
- The Public Assistance Global Report, which shows detailed projects, productivity and grant awards data. It is available online to the public, FEMA staff and the U.S. Congress at www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/2005katrina/weekly.shtm
- The Interactive Public Website/Global Transparency Initiative (www.FEMARecovery.gov), which tracks projects by neighborhood across the entire Gulf Coast region.
- The Public Assistance Expedited Information Response (PAXIR) team, which established protocol for and manages the response to information requests from external sources.
Disaster response and recovery efforts are challenging even in the best of circumstances. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita presented challenges to FEMA's Public Assistance program that had not been encountered in previous disasters. For this reason, in Louisiana, the recovery of hurricanes Gustav and Ike shifted to FEMA's LATRO so that experienced staff could quickly advance recovery operations. This transition allowed for continuity in personnel and training of new employees on past, current and future issues, and ensures a continued commitment to Louisiana, local governments and nonprofits.
The LATRO's external affairs liaisons have spent the past three years building solid relationships with parish officials across Louisiana. By keeping the same face and voice in each of the parishes, FEMA provides a sense of stability and security in the midst of stressful situations.
FEMA's improvements on many disaster response fronts that began during Katrina and Rita continue today, and will continue into the future. Many of these improvements are evident today, in the aftermath of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. In the little more than three months following landfall, more than $255 million has already been committed to public assistance projects in Louisiana to date.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 07-Jan-2009 08:35:57