FEMA Review Council hears recommendations from survey, listening sessions

Presenter: At the FEMA Review Council’s third public meeting Aug. 28, specific recommendations after the tragic July flooding in the Texas Hill Country. Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, Nim Kidd:

[00:00:13] Nim Kidd (Texas Division of Emergency Management, chief): I think we are one of the few states in the nation whose state emergency operations center is open 24/7/365 and staffed, ready to go. We are also staffed with full-time meteorologists and we are constantly watching the weather of what’s happening in our state from all threats and all hazards.

[00:00:31] We open up our calls to all 254 county elected officials and all 1,216 city officials on a daily basis to make sure we are singularly focused and singularly coordinated on the threats that face our state.

[00:00:46] On the morning of Wednesday, July the second, we held a statewide weather call and we had over 500 lines call into that call to make sure that our local officials were informed of not only the weather we were facing for that holiday weekend coming up, but know what resources the governor had placed out across the state.

[00:01:05] By Thursday morning, resources were in place across the state of Texas, covering 44 of the 254 Texas counties. Those 44 counties are roughly the size of Indiana.

[00:01:17] We all know on Friday morning, July 4th, in the early morning hours, we had a nine-mile-high rain cloud that dropped a tremendous amount of water in one location and it did not move. That rainfall caused a 36-foot rise in water in about a 45-minute period. That impacted many of our campers that were there on vacation for the Fourth of July celebrating our Independence Day As well as as we all know Camp Mystic and some of the children that were there that we lost in that tragic event.

[00:01:54] I want to quickly talk about what worked and I’ll tell you right now, what worked was the support from our federal partners and our other states. The United States Coast Guard was there with us immediately as well as the Border Patrol and their BORSTAR team.

[00:02:05] Resources arrived immediately, and this is important upon request and without delay. We all know that getting too many resources too early in the event can be a problem in and of itself. Command and control is very important, and the sequencing and layering of resources that come in has got to be communicated and coordinated. Our pre-positioned assets quickly tied in with federal partners and federal assets and reinforced the state’s support.

[00:02:31] Our federal assets integration was seamless. There was no friction between state and federal partners. That hasn’t happened in the past. Too many times our federal partners have come in, whether they’ve been part of the military department or other resource, and think it’s their response to handle instead of supporting our state and local government.

[00:02:48] I also want to thank the 27 states and the governors that sent resources to support us. The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) worked. It worked very well. We got what we needed, when we asked for it, there was no delay in that response.

[00:03:03] And finally, I need to thank all of our local partners that were there that were ahead of the time, many of them volunteers in many of this rural part of Texas, that left their homes, their families and their businesses to be there for our local partners. And then the men and women of Texas A&M Task Force One, one of the 28 FEMA urban search and rescue teams. Those people were there ahead of the event and saved countless number of lives.

[00:03:26] Presenter: The Texas flooding led to specific recommendations for improvement. Nim Kidd:

[00:03:32] Nim Kidd (Texas Division of Emergency Management, chief): Debris management has got to take place faster at the local and the state and the federal level and I want to thank (Department of Homeland Security) Secretary (Kristi) Noem and the White House because we were able to work through this event looking at private property debris, commercial debris, wet debris, as well as the myriad of trees that were on everybody else’s private property.

[00:03:53] We had one debris package that we were able to work through and picking up that debris as fast as possible and helping with the search and rescue efforts through the debris pickup has been phenomenal.

[00:04:04] Second, we need to keep working on housing. The individual assistance program was turned on immediately. Grateful for that. But as we all know, the backbone of recovery for individuals is not in the federal dollar. It’s in our local partners and our faith-based organizations.

[00:04:20] We had over 19,000 volunteers that showed up to support Texans during their time of need. Many of our faith-based organizations are still on the ground and helping rebuild.

[00:04:30] Many of our Texas performers are raising money, over $120 million raised to support homes. Gov. Abbott was there with the ‘King of Country Music,’ George Strait, raised money. We have already put tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars back into people helping rebuild their home.

[00:04:51] The financial relief has got to continue to move at the pace that it does because 55 days after the event, we still have people that are out of their homes, but they all have a safe place to stay right now, and they are all starting the rebuilding process.

[00:05:06] We’ve got to continue to innovate in our case management solutions. We’ve got to turn on case management at the beginning of the incident. We cannot wait days, weeks, or months to get our case management turned back on.

[00:05:16] And then the need for meteorological forecasting and communications. As much as we all want to know when it’s going to rain, where it’s going to rain, how much it’s going to rain and how fast it’s going to fall, technology does not meet our expectations yet. And so as locals, as state and as federal partners, we’ve got to come up with a better way to forecast the weather and make sure that our communications are shared with our local partners.

[00:05:42] The last thing that I want to talk about that we need to improve is really would like some help with the Internal Revenue Service and the 501(c)(3) status of nonprofits to quickly get money that from donated from great Americans trying to get into the hands of other great Americans. The 501(c)(3) status could use a little bit of attention that we can look at together and I hope that’s something that we can talk about.

[00:06:02] And then finally: Secretary Noem, I want to thank you. In my 30 years of doing this job and in this business, this has been the fastest and most effective federal support Texas has ever received.

[00:06:14] Texas Task Force One, one of our federal search and rescue teams, fully equipped, fully trained, fully funded, was able to deploy at my direction in addition to all of the other teams that you sent. I’m grateful for that. The partnership brought the right resources, the right place at the right time. It saved lives and it made a difference.

[00:06:30] Presenter: Subcommittees are preparing sections of the council’s final report, due in November. Kevin Guthrie:

[00:06:37] Kevin Guthrie (Florida Division of Emergency Management, executive director): Most participants agree with the mantra that disasters are ‘locally executed, state-managed, and federally supported.’

[00:06:44] We believe federal support can be boiled down to three core areas. That’s standardization, coordination, and financial aid, and that came directly from the participants.

[00:06:54] A good example is the 28 federal urban search and rescue teams that have already been referenced here today. FEMA does a great job of typing and coordinating those teams, But at the end of the day, the personnel are local first responders who periodically deploy to other jurisdictions.

[00:07:11] FEMA provides annual funding, support for those responders to train and exercise and equip them to respond. The investment there is twofold. It strengthens our systematic nationwide response, but it also enhances the capabilities of the communities that they serve every day.

[00:07:28] The key point, federal response assets, and I’m not talking about recovery, I’m talking about response assets are typically not full-time federal employees, but they’re local responders who are coordinated, trained, and funded by the federal government.

[00:07:43] The second part of the mantra is ‘state-managed.’ As Secretary Noem said at the first public meeting, funding will need to be shifted to something like block grants. In the listening sessions, many emphasized the need to receive financial assistance more quickly, but hesitate about block grants based on previous experiences such as Section 428 of the Stafford Act.

[00:08:02] The Response and Recovery Subcommittee has spent hours, maybe even days, exploring ways to accelerate local recovery through direct funding for public and individual assistance. Every disaster is different, and each state, local, tribe and territory will manage it differently.

[00:08:19] As our tribal partners pointed out here in this room on Tuesday, there are cultural, building material, artistical, economical issues that are different as far as the East is from the West, and our system has to recognize that and be supportive in those specific responses and recoveries.

[00:08:38] Our goal is to identify federal minimum standards for recovery refunding while giving the states the flexibility to chart the best path forward for their communities and their citizens.

[00:08:49] The last part of that mantra is ‘locally executed.’ Responsibility for the response and recovery of disaster clearly rests with the local government officials and residents. During the Los Angeles listening session, one of the local elected mayors emphasized that local officials should have more responsibility and decision-making authority. We agree and there are ways we can help locals be better prepared for their incidents.

[00:09:15] For example, in Florida communities are required to develop a comprehensive emergency management plan. These plans are essential for any disaster but they mean absolutely nothing if the local government employees and even the local community are not trained to implement and utilize them effectively. Local emergency managers should be properly trained and qualified for their positions to ensure plans translate into action. Alongside their elected officials, they are the leaders to get through disaster.

[00:09:43] Local communities should be investing in themselves to be prepared for the disasters they know will come. This is accomplished not only through training and exercises, but also by addressing financial preparedness with the support of insurance and disaster relief funding. Communities should prepare residents and visitors by promptly providing clear information about potential hazards and threats along with guidance on how to stay safe and prepared.

[00:10:11] Presenter: He said that during every single listening session, at least one person emphasized the importance of mitigation. Kevin Guthrie:

[00:10:19] Kevin Guthrie: I would be remiss if I did not share one of the most talked about portions of our listening sessions and that’s mitigation. Mitigation saves lives. It protects property. It reduces cost of future disasters. However, it is a very, very hard sell to strengthen something existing that is unaffected as the return on investment may be unrealized.

[00:10:42] Mitigation has to be locally executed at that local level. By local, I mean not just local government, but all the way down to homeowners and business owners. There is a responsibility there that they must take. This looks like building codes, standards, and best practices, such as not building in a floodway or at least building above the floodway, homeowners purchasing flood protection devices, hardening and maintaining their homes. Mitigation must go further than just asking for federal funds. State and locals must invest in their communities to stay resilient.

[00:11:16] In closing, it’s time to have an honest conversation with ourselves as emergency management directors. Nim posed a question this week: How many of you depend on your sustainment funding of at least 50% at the state level? All those in this room said at least 50%, and it went much higher than that.

[00:11:41] No other safety, no other public safety-centric agency at the state or local level depends on 50% or more of their funding coming from the federal government. States and locals should be investing in themselves instead of shifting responsibility of sustainment onto the federal government.

[00:11:57] A scary thought is 6 US Code 821, Section 3(a) and (b) defines a catastrophic event and this country has never experienced it by definition. Never. We’ve had some really, really bad disasters, but we’ve conditioned ourselves that now a 10 out of 10 is actually probably more like a six, seven, or eight on that scale. We have not experienced the maximum of maximums, but we have to be ready for that day.

[00:12:29] Each state faces unique hazards. State-driven investment allows for the solutions that are tailored to the specific needs rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all federal program. When citizens see their state investing directly in preparedness/response/recovery/mitigation, it builds confidence in government. It fosters stronger community resilience.

[00:12:50] Furthermore, communities that are prepared and supported by state resources can bounce back much more quickly instead of waiting for federal programs to activate. Every community has different vulnerabilities. State-driven investments help address those local issues. By funding, training, outreach, local preparedness initiatives, and mitigation, states can foster a culture where citizens know their risk and how to act before the disaster strikes.

[00:13:16] Presenter: With five key takeaways from the survey, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin:

[00:13:21] Glenn Youngkin (Virginia, governor): The survey that we undertook, over 1,300 respondents from all 50 states, from six tribes, one territory, 83,000 questions that were answered that covered the 32 core capabilities that are outlined for FEMA…. the response was overwhelming and has led to five key takeaways.

[00:13:48] The first is to accelerate federal funding to the communities. Very simply, to modernize and streamline the process of funding direct assistance. And I’m going to use that word again, direct assistance, not assistance that is migrating through a myriad of bureaucratic processes but support the states and local capabilities with emergency response funding quickly. So they know what they’re getting and they understand that they can put it to use in order to save lives and commence immediate recovery. This was the overwhelming number one response.

[00:14:34] Second is to empower local and regional readiness. This again is a shifting of the leadership of the response to states and local authorities. I know as a governor that when we know a disaster is coming in preparation for a hurricane or a major storm, we get ready and we go to work by deploying the resources that we know we have access to. It is that sentiment to empower us to do that and to have the federal government play a support role, but not a lead role in that effort.

[00:15:13] Third big theme is to make sure that we are protecting and evolving the national lifeline capabilities, and what do we mean by that? The capabilities that you just heard from Texas Task Force One, the capabilities that we have in the Commonwealth of Virginia with two urban search and rescue teams that are set to national standards so that when they are called upon, those that are receiving the help know exactly what they’re going to get.

[00:15:43] The fourth big theme deals with our more rural communities. And as a governor of a state that saw Hurricane Helene devastate southwest Virginia, devastated because, of course, there was a tremendous storm that hit. And yet we were able to mobilize tremendous resources ahead of the storm in order to protect lives and begin the recovery process.

[00:16:12] But rural communities oftentimes find themselves less prepared, less equipped, and therefore less capable to deal with emergencies versus urban centers. And that is one consistent theme from those communities, which is: How do we use regional capability buildup? How do we use the reassignment of response capabilities into states and regional areas to make sure that Southwest Virginia, Eastern Tennessee, West Virginia, and of course, Western North Carolina, will have the kinds of response capabilities that we collectively need?

[00:16:56] The EMAC system works incredibly well, but it can work even better.

[00:17:01] And then fifth, and I think you’ve already heard some of these themes, is to unite the nation’s resilience network. And oftentimes we forget that the capabilities within the nonprofit community, the capabilities within the private sector to respond quickly, to bring philanthropic support and to get moving, particularly in the recovery effort, oftentimes are inhibited, if not sometimes prevented, by government bureaucracy.

[00:17:39] And therefore the nation’s resilience network is comprised of yes, federal agencies and yes, state and local and tribal and territorial capabilities, 501(c)(3) nonprofits. But we need to link it together and make sure that we are coordinated in using it, as opposed to suboptimizing the response.

[00:18:03] These five big themes of the objectives that we should have are underpinned by numerous very specific recommendations. And I think as we move into over the course of the next months, the final report writing, that we can incorporate the work of the two subcommittees to translate these great suggestions / recommendations into actionable answers.

[00:18:32] Presenter: Members of the FEMA Review Council share some of the specific recommendations likely to be in their final report, due in November.