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Better planning and preparation create more effective disaster response

Emergency Management Alert, August 19, 2008

Federal agencies responding to this summer’s wave of natural disasters have shown a different face, no doubt thanks to the criticism of their poor performance during Hurricane Katrina, reported FederalTimes.com

After the floods in the Midwest, Health and Human Services (HHS) Department officials quickly authorized new day-care centers for more than 2,500 displaced children, FederalTimes.com reported. The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Service provided food assistance to more than 12,000 displaced Iowans. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trained 2,000 California National Guard members as firefighters during the wildfires in that state.

Since Hurricane Katrina, agencies like HHS and FEMA say they’ve improved disaster preparedness and response with a stronger focus on risk analysis and a better partnership with states and municipalities, “We’re getting more analytical based on what we’ve learned from previous events,” Dr. Kevin Yeskey, HHS’ deputy assistant secretary for preparedness and response, told FederalTimes.com. The agency has a team charged with analyzing its performance and completing after-action reports to pick up flaws and ways to improve, he added.

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