EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Day One Summary - December 10, 2008 The National Advisory Council (NAC) convened at 9:45 a.m. (CST) on December 10, 2008 at the Fairmont in Dallas, Texas. NAC Members Present: Kem Bennett, Chair Robert Gougelet, Vice Chair David Barron Joseph Becker Michael Brown Joe Bruno Christina Catlett Irene Collins Bob Connors Steve Cassidy John Didion Nancy Dragani Cathey Eide Angelia Elgin Lee Feldman Joanne Hayes-White John Hines Charles Kmet John Libby Sue Mencer Kenneth Miller Ken Murphy James Paturas John Stensgar J.R. Thomas (Alternate to Mark Shriver, Save the Children) Susy Torriente DHS/FEMA Staff in Attendance: Harvey E. Johnson, Deputy Administrator Bob Shea, Associate Deputy Administrator Nancy Ward, Region IX Administrator and Career Transition Officer Alyson Price, Designated Federal Officer Meeting: The meeting was called to order at 9:45 a.m. by Alyson Price, Designated Federal Officer. Dr. Kem Bennett’s, National Advisory Council (NAC) Chair, remarks: * Discussed the size of the subcommittees relative to the budget of the NAC and the importance of having well-balanced participation. * Discouraged the practice of members having alternates participate in the NAC proceedings, subcommittee meetings and teleconferences, other than one member who arranged to have an alternate prior to his appointment. * Reviewed of the agenda for December 10th and introduction of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff. Highlights from FEMA Headquarters - Harvey Johnson, FEMA Deputy Administrator * Lessons learned from Hurricanes Ike and Gustav o Gap analysis is an effective method to determine how much Federal assistance will be needed in preparation for a disaster o Mass evacuation can be accomplished if we work to plan in advance o Call centers – ensure that FEMA-trained personnel are on the help lines and set up kiosks where others can help with registration calls o Need to establish criteria for Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (MDRCs) o Take management principles from the workplace to the disaster environment o Logistics - states need to develop better logistical plans particularly Point of Distribution (POD) planning o FEMA has become much better at command and coordination and energizing a national level response by bringing states and other agencies together in Video Teleconferences (VTC). * Still have work to do on recovery * Career leaders at the agency focused on continuing the vision for the agency through the transition; distributing to all staff a document titled “Attaining the Vision”, which captures the following: o A Federal Coordination Center will bring together FEMA, Secret Service, FBI, the Military District of Washington and other entities in the event of a disaster that occurs within the National Capital Region o FEMA will work to develop a national recovery strategy o A project with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is looking at simplifying the declaration process o Issues remain with regard to Gulf Cost recovery from Katrina - the gap between what the Stafford Act requires and what a community wants o Identification of Mobile Emergency Resource Support (MERS) requirements for continuity of government is an issue since those functions are not performed in every disaster o The Front Office needs to be revamped - reestablish the Chief of Staff and clarify the roles of the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, and other Senior Support Staff * Grant programs being used to fill gaps identified by preparedness and assessment system * Focus not only on FEMA’s Continuity Of Operations (COOP) capability but also on the entire federal government’s COOP and Continuity of Government (COG) capabilities * Instilling greater public confidence in FEMA, other agencies and states that we as a nation are better prepared to handle disasters as they occur National Incident Management System (NIMS) Subcommittee Report - James Paturas (Vice Chair) * Discussion points: o The five NAC recommendations on the NIMS, provided in June 2008, were accepted. Four were immediately incorporated and the fifth will be in future versions. o Issues identified at the FEMA-sponsored NIMS implementation conference in October * How do we integrate best practices and communicate them to stakeholders? * How do we evaluate success and ensure that everyone is living up to NIMS requirements? * What role will training and exercises play? * Are the 300 and 400 level programs effective, and can they be done more efficiently? * How do we hold FEMA accountable for adherence to their own milestones regarding NIMS and its implementation? o How does the subcommittee help with any next steps in terms of the conference outcomes? * Next Steps for Subcommittee o Review conference report to identify and prioritize issues to be discussed at next quarterly meeting: o Subcommittee will work on national level issues and assign regional issues to Regional Advisory Councils (RAC) o Subcommittee should help communicate outcomes to their state/tribal/territorial/local stakeholders o Create FEMA web portal for NIMS and other key documents to collect feedback, post updates and resources, etc. o Develop training for emergency managers to help align the incident command system with the emergency support functions process o Begin to train federal and state partners at the Joint Field Office (JFO) level o Have Incident Management Systems Integration Program Office (IMSI) work more closely with the subcommittee o FEMA should allow the subcommittee to review and provide comment on Intelligence and Investigations Functions Guide Transition Update - Nancy Ward, Region IX Administrator and FEMA’s Career Senior Transitional Official * Each agency within DHS identified a Career Transition Official * Focus on three areas: 1. Succession planning and ensuring there is a career person to lead each component agency should there be a lapse in leadership 2. Management directives and records retention 3. Incident management and readiness to perform as each of the component heads * Will begin exercises with the new leadership, including Cabinet Nominees and the President-Elect so everyone understands their role * Working on a transition binder for knowledge transfer * Focus on communicating information regarding the transition with employees Public Private Partnerships Subcommittee Report - Bob Connors (Vice Chair) * Discussion Points: o A survey of existing partnerships was accomplished with help from NEMA, and nearly 70 percent of State Directors responded o 2009 FEMA/PSO conference – setting up a steering committee o Disaster deployments – connecting private sector with local emergency management o Liability and private sector involvement in disasters that destabilize the environment (e.g., earthquakes, dirty bombs) o Private sector representation in EOC – funding, selection, qualifications o Results of state assessment o Timing of National Preparedness Month – can it be changed? o Information sharing: public versus intelligence o Composing a white paper that defines the significance of having an extra ESF for business and industry * Recommendations for discussion and council decision: o Subcommittee recommendation 1: * FEMA should urge states to establish private sector liaisons in emergency operations centers * NAC Recommendation: FEMA should strongly urge state emergency management agencies to establish a private sector liaison position in the state emergency operations center based on best practices * Passed unanimously o Subcommittee recommendation 2: * Each FEMA region should provide meaningful situation reports similar to Region I, which are unclassified and non-law enforcement SITREPs, that would be available to the private sector * NAC Recommendation: Each FEMA region should provide meaningful situation reports to approved private sector representatives * Passed unanimously o Subcommittee recommendation 3: * FEMA should identify liability issues that affect private sector engagement as well as options and best practices for addressing the issues * Tabled o Subcommittee recommendation 4: * FEMA should promote private sector preparedness as an incentive of state and local engagement * Tabled o Subcommittee recommendation 5: * FEMA should identify best practices in information sharing * Tabled o Subcommittee recommendation 6: * Enable and empower the private sector office of FEMA to take on identifying standards and best practices and working with the subcommittee very closely * Passed unanimously o Subcommittee recommendation 7: * FEMA should support and promote state and local emergency management engagement with the local private sector, facilitate introductions at their request, create contact lists of the private sector points of contact * Tabled National Response Framework (NRF) Subcommittee Report - Cathey Eide (Chair) * Recommendations for discussion and council decision: o Subcommittee recommendation 1: * Integrate the NRF into existing training and exercises for key leaders, elected officials, emergency managers, and responders. - Ensure that all FEMA approved training and exercises are designed or updated to incorporate the relevant changes associated with the adoption of the NRF. * Passed unanimously o Subcommittee recommendation 2 * FEMA management staff should be familiar with and encourage use of NRF and the Resource Center * This issue will be included in the memorandum introduction rather than as a specific recommendation and will include contractors. o Subcommittee recommendation 3 * FEMA should emphasize the promotion of the NRF Resource Center through ongoing outreach and training. FEMA should encourage the use of the information from the NRF Resource Center to be incorporated into workshops, seminars, exercises. * This issue will also be included in body of memorandum rather than as specific recommendation. o Subcommittee recommendation 4 * Integrate private sector support more fully into the NRF. a. Private Sector considerations should be clearly incorporated into the various partner guides. b. FEMA should consider the viability of a separate private sector ESF; the Public Private Partnerships Subcommittee will be developing a white paper on the subject for NRF Subcommittee consideration/potential recommendations. * NAC Recommendation: FEMA should issue the various partner guides and in so doing ensure that private sector considerations are clearly incorporated * Passed unanimously. Recommendation 4.b. tabled. o Next Steps * Develop a process for reviewing the partner guides * Review the elevator speech * Develop ideas and objectives for the NAC to see the NIMS and the NRF in action Stafford Act Subcommittee Report - Nancy Dragani * Recommendations for discussion and council decision: o Policy Issue No. 1 * FEMA Issue: There is a cost when government personnel are pulled from regular duties and assigned full-time to emergency-related activities. * FEMA Solution: Provide reimbursement in catastrophic incidents for a limited period of time to state and local governments for the regular or straight-time salaries and benefits for an applicant’s permanently employed staff. This is associated with permanent staff engaged in full-time emergency protective measures and debris removal. * NAC Recommendation: Backfill costs for temporary and permanent force account personnel should be eligible; clear guidance should be established related to planning of state and local budgets; FEMA should develop consistent policies on the universal match program; once the 30-day threshold has been met, the reimbursement shall be retroactive; references to “catastrophic events: should be eliminated * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 2 * FEMA Issue: FEMA should revise the criteria for continued assistance, otherwise known as recertification, to streamline the recertification process * NAC Recommendation: Elimination of the permanent housing plan; clear identification of an appeals process; clarification of the ability to pay determination; and ensuring disaster victims who have relocated outside the disaster event area be provided the same level of service * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 3 * FEMA Issue: Provide guidance for determining the eligibility and duration of FEMA assistance for the temporary relocation of essential public and private non-profit facilities * NAC Recommendation: FEMA should consider not only what facility is the cheapest but also pre-existing agreements to use COOP facilities that may not be the cheapest; encourage clarity and consistency in policy; facilities for centers serving seniors and others funded under Title III of the Older Americans Act should be considered essential; request clarification whether childcare facilities are considered essential critical facilities under Policy 9523.3 * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 4 * FEMA Issue: Current FEMA policy limits funding for replacement of a facility to a facility-by-facility basis * NAC Recommendation: FEMA should allow for multiple facilities to be combined, given they provide a similar service, for more efficient use and cost savings * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 5 * FEMA Issue: FEMA’s current policy limits funding for the replacement of damaged equipment, vehicles, and supplies to the same number of items of approximately the same age, capacity, and condition. Following a major disaster, applicants may determine that replacing damaged or destroyed equipment, vehicles or supplies with the exact number and capacity of the destroyed equipment, vehicles and supplies is not cost-effective or in the public interest. * NAC Recommendation: Allow for applicants to replace contents of eligible public facilities based on need, given a dollar threshold of damage, rather than one for one * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 6 * FEMA Issue: To ensure that communities affected by major disasters are rebuilt stronger, safer and less vulnerable to damage from future flooding disasters, FEMA should fund Public Assistance projects that allow communities to adhere to the elevation standards established by Advisory Base Flood Elevations (ABFEs). * NAC Recommendation: 406 hazard mitigation, limited to allowing communities to use the Advisory Based Flood Elevations to be eligible for a baseline of reimbursement for elevation or replacement of cost * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 7 * FEMA Issue: States may have a need for commodities in response to the pending impact of an incident that has not yet been declared a major disaster or emergency. The Federal government may have pre-positioned commodities, supplies or equipment that may meet the need of the State, but is restricted when providing such Federal assistance prior to a declaration. This would be a new policy and is under development. * NAC Recommendation: FEMA needs to provide clarification on states’ responsibilities if they request pre-staged, prepositioned federal commodities in advance of a federal declaration and then don’t get declaration and/or don’t use the commodities * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 8 * FEMA Issue: Critical needs assistance for displaced individuals and households; requires having been displaced for at least seven days and having applied for FEMA assistance; comes out of IHP cash * Proposed FEMA solution: limit disbursement to $500 per application * NAC Recommendation: Adjust base amount to $1,000 per application but make it adjustable based on the number in the household; encourage FEMA to continue to work with the Red Cross to address duplication of benefits and to ensure that the immediate zero to seven day needs are still being addressed; better define “household” so that it addresses multiple families living in one household as well as families that are separated * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 9 * FEMA Issue: After a major disaster, residents of an impacted area may not be able to return to their home for an extended period of time because their community is inaccessible or uninhabitable due to disaster-related damages. Congregate shelters may not provide the best environment to provide sheltering for those who are displaced from their community for an extended period of time. After Hurricane Katrina, FEMA provided hotel/motel rooms for evacuees who could not return home. Based upon this experience and lessons learned, FEMA revised the policies and procedures for provision of transitional sheltering assistance to evacuees using hotel/motel lodging. * NAC Recommendation: Allow for motels, hotels, cruise ships, and the like to be used as transitional sheltering assistance for individuals who are impacted, particularly by long-term disasters * Passed unanimously o Policy Issue No. 10 * FEMA Issue: Payment of the cost of utilities * NAC Recommendation: Allow FEMA to publish a change to its regulation, allowing utilities to be available to eligible applicants; ensure that internet and cable service providers be considered * Passed unanimously The meeting recessed at 5:05 p.m. Day Two Summary - December 11, 2008 The National Advisory Council (NAC) reconvened at 8:30 a.m. (CST) on December 11, 2008, at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas. NAC Members Present: Kem Bennett, Chair Robert Gougelet, Vice Chair David Barron Joseph Becker Michael Brown Joe Bruno Christina Catlett Irene Collins Bob Connors Steve Cassidy John Didion Nancy Dragani Cathey Eide Angelia Elgin Lee Feldman Joanne Hayes-White John Hines Charles Kmet John Libby Sue Mencer Kenneth Miller Ken Murphy James Paturas John Stensgar J.R. Thomas (Alternate to Mark Shriver) Susy Torriente DHS/FEMA Staff in Attendance: Harvey E. Johnson, Deputy Administrator Bob Shea, Associate Deputy Administrator Alyson Price, Designated Federal Officer William Peterson, Region VI Administrator Nancy Ward, Region IX Administrator and Career Transition Official Meeting The meeting was called to order at 8:30 a.m. by Bob Shea, Associate Deputy Administrator. Administrator’s remarks (as read by Bob Shea): * 2008 was an active year o Six hurricanes hit the continental United States for the first time o A Category 3 storm formed in five consecutive months o Some of the worst flooding ever in the Midwest o Hurricane Ike was the third largest natural disaster in the nation’s history, yet under 100 people died and within 36 hours we were able to locate housing for 22,000 displaced people o FEMA analyzed and processed 120 gubernatorial disaster declaration requests o Contracts have been initiated for manufactured home lines that meet formaldehyde standards developed in partnership with CDC * Future items for FEMA and NAC o Much has been done to develop relationships with groups previously ignored, such as law enforcement, Native Americans, children, the disabled, private sector organizations, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), and we need to continue such outreach efforts o We need to involve those partners in more of the strategic aspects of what we are doing o We must continue to work to build a national culture of preparedness NAC Suggestion: To draft a letter to the Administrator thanking him for his work and expressing a debt of gratitude for what he has done for emergency responders and emergency management as a whole * Passed unanimously Dr. Kem Bennett, NAC Chair, provided a brief summary of the previous day and discussed NAC’s accomplishments: * The NAC has provided formal recommendations to the Administrator on NIMS, NRF, the National Disaster Housing Strategy, the Stafford Act Regulatory Initiative, the creation of Regional Disability Coordinators * At the conclusion of this meeting they will provide additional recommendations on the private sector, the Stafford Act, policies to supplement Regulatory Initiative, NRF input, and Special Needs * The annual report captures the NAC’s progress and many significant accomplishments Regional Advisory Council (RAC) Update - William Peterson, Regional Administrator for Region VI: * Regions VI and IV have come much closer together in doing operational planning for Gulf Coast hurricanes * Regions IV, V, VI, VII and VIII are working together on a plan in preparation for the next big earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone * Strong success in Region VI in building synergy up and down through the three levels of government as well as across all five states and the local governments in those states * Key areas of focus in Region VI are public education and awareness, including defining the role of FEMA, information sharing, evacuation and sheltering, particularly for the New Madrid Seismic Zone where perhaps 50 percent or more of the impacted population would need assistance compared with around 5 percent in a hurricane * Region VI led the nation in every category of response with 15 major disaster declarations, six emergency declarations, and 28 fire management assistance grants * Regional hazards in Region VI include flooding, severe storms, wildfires, earthquakes, and terrorist threats to infrastructure * Critical infrastructure in Region VI includes the ports of Houston and New Orleans, the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve and petroleum, natural gas, and crude oil production * Pipelines from facilities, which run up through the region to the north and northeast, would be impacted by an earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone Urban Search and Rescue Working Group Report - Joe Bruno o USAR Sponsoring Agency Chiefs request: * That the USAR Advisory Committee be reconstituted and that it include a Representative from all the new ESF-9 search and rescue federal agencies as well as representatives from military and state rescue assets * They ask for better coordination with DOD * For support of HR 4158 Bill which would address the volatile funding stream for the USAR program * Support for Stafford Act changes to regularize funding, add workers’ compensation, employee protection, and certain tort reform * To continue to build relations with state USAR teams and want the State USAR Alliance as a member of the advisory committee * To continue their relationship with the working group and the NAC at least until the advisory committee is up and running o Next teleconference to be held December 16th Special Needs Subcommittee Report - Irene Collins o FEMA has accepted the proposal to dedicate ten Regional Coordinator positions for the disability and special needs community o Discussion Points: * Gustav/Ike Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) deployment included staff to assist individuals with special needs through the application process * Shelter operations * Best practice: Aging services onsite to assist elderly * Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 301 not complete at present * Develop “Safe Center” concept * Subcommittee to review CPG 301 and CPG 101 o Next Steps/Future Discussion items * Develop disaster response special needs case management representative and training * Special Needs Assistance Team (SNAT) to ensure that proper preparation and resources for people with special needs * Develop standardized special needs intake form for use at DRCs * IMAT should include staff to help identify and address special needs issues at the start of operations * Work with existing resources, such as senior day centers and Meals on Wheels to fulfill ongoing nutritional needs o Subcommittee Recommendation/Request * The Special Needs Subcommittee requested to be included in the development of the job description and qualifications of Regional Coordinator positions in the ten regions - Passed unanimously Post-Disaster Housing Subcommittee Report - Joe Becker o The National Disaster Housing Task Force remains in the early development stages – Currently it has an Interim Head but not full-time staff o Ike and Gustav update: a. Rental Repair Pilot Program - FEMA has authority to find available housing stock that needs small investment for maintenance in order to be leased; the money is recouped from rent credits - prototypes indicate initial success on a very small scale. b. Reinforce need for NDH TF planning with State/local housing task forces pre-disaster o Subcommittee Observations: a. Reinforces NAC recommendations for a menu of housing options; subcommittee does not see movement in this direction. b. Current process has no ability for FEMA to resource State/local government for design and development of prototypes o Wrap-Around Services Task Force - J.R. Thomas * The four focus questions the task force was asked to address were what services should be available, who would provide them, who should pay for them and do any of them impede movement to long-term housing? * Task Force met with a number of organizations of the National Volunteer Organizations Assisting in Disasters (National VOAD) which is a group of organizations working on interim housing situations, to look at all the services that had a been recommended to FEMA. The four concepts of services that should be provided at disaster housing sites include: 1. Site Security and Safety –Public Safety, Site Security, Traffic Redirection and Restoration of Access 2. Infrastructure to Support Site – Public Utilities/Public Works, Public Transportation 3. Centralized Services/Mass Care – Access to Healthcare/Medical Service, Business Services, Food Availability, Laundry Facilities 4. Community and Family Supports – Community Services, Childcare, Playgrounds/Pet Area o NAC Recommendation: * Incorporate the four concepts of services into the transitional housing solutions. In addition, the subcommittee would like to provide more in-depth and informal guidance to FEMA staff based on input from the task force’s work * Passed unanimously Annual Report Overview - Dr. Kem Bennett, NAC Chair * The report is in its final version and will be a good document to put forward during the transition and with the new administration * Wide dissemination is critical Public Comment Period - Alyson Price, DFO * Mr. Phil Surles, President and Managing Partner, Athens Park Homes, LLC o There should be a manufactured housing veteran on the FEMA Housing task force o Expressed dissatisfaction with the bid process ESF-9 Response to Hurricane Ike - Bob McKee, Director of Emergency Response and Rescue, Texas Engineering Extension Service * Critical success factors in Response to Hurricane Ike o Preexisting contact with partner ESF agencies is paramount o Pre-scripting as many mission assignments as we can o Preload as many ARFs as we can so the system doesn’t get bogged down o Address funding issues o Unified chain of command o Communicate regularly; the need for information must be recognized o Execute together o Pre-landfall staging Closing Remarks - Dr. Kem Bennett, NAC Chair * Continue to struggle with recovery issues * Another challenge is ownership of particular issues concerning the questionable limits between FEMA, States, local community and private entities. * Next meeting tentatively scheduled for April 14-16, 2009 in Washington, DC. This could change due to transition efforts. Meeting was adjourned at 11:50 a.m. I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete. ________________________________________________ G. Kemble Bennett Chairman National Advisory Council 1