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PURPOSE STATEMENT
BACKGROUND
It is widely agreed that a greater focus is needed on disaster recovery issues - especially over the longer-term, after the response efforts are completed. Communities devastated by a disaster face complex challenges as they work to restore quality of life, rebuild infrastructure and public services, revitalize social services and networks, and reestablish economic viability, environmental sustainability and resilience against future hazards.
STATEMENT OF INTENT
At the President's request, the Secretaries of Homeland Security (DHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are co-chairing a White House Long-Term Disaster Recovery Working Group composed of the Secretaries and Administrators of more than 20 departments, agencies and offices. This high-level, strategic initiative will provide operational guidance for recovery organizations as well as make suggestions for future improvement. An intensive stakeholder outreach effort during October and November, 2009, involving State, local, and Tribal government representatives, as well as a wide array of private organizations and private non-profit organizations, will inform these efforts.
AREAS OF FOCUS
Our goal is to ensure a more resilient Nation � one in which individuals, communities, and our economy can adapt to changing conditions as well as withstand and rapidly recover from disasters. In order to develop a better national strategy for an effective approach to long-term disaster recovery, the Working Group on Long-Term Disaster Recovery will:
- Provide operational guidance for Federal, State, Tribal and local authorities to provide for unified, and effective disaster recovery. This includes defining roles and responsibilities, detailing recovery management and operational coordination, articulating communications strategies and establishing measurements for success;
- Review disaster recovery programs and the framework of disaster recovery, and identify gaps as well as overlapping and/or conflicting sources of authority for disaster recovery efforts;
- Examine areas for improved interagency planning and collaboration among Federal agencies;
- Examine methods to build capacity within State, local and Tribal governments as well as within the nonprofit, faith-based, and private sectors; both in recovery operations and in pre-disaster recovery planning; and
- Examine successful practices and Lessons Learned during previous disaster recovery efforts, with particular attention to catastrophic disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
The Secretaries will provide the President with recommendations to improve long-term catastrophic disaster recovery and will help develop a National Disaster Recovery Framework that provides more detailed operational guidance to recovery organizations under existing authorities.
PARTICIPATION
The Working Group is taking a bottom's up approach to implementing this important national initiative and there are multiple opportunities for stakeholder participation.
An intensive stakeholder outreach effort is now underway to solicit input from a broad range of recovery stakeholders. To ensure broad representation, input is solicited from Federal, State, Tribal and community leadership; policy- and decision-makers; public and private recovery partners and practitioners; nonprofits; disaster recovery stakeholders and citizens. Participants are asked to identify their existing perceptions of disaster recovery; articulate what they think recovery assistance should look like going forward; identify best practice examples; raise challenges and obstacles to success; and share their thoughts, experiences and Lessons Learned.
A series of Ten (10) Regional Video Teleconferences hosted by HUD and FEMA Regional Offices have just completed. Five (5) Stakeholder Forums sponsored in partnership with select States and local communities are now being organized across the nation. Both series of events provide an opportunity for participants to discuss disaster recovery management issues and opportunities - a discussion that will help shape two important products:
- The White House Working Group Report to the President, which will identify opportunities for improving the delivery of recovery assistance in the future and,
- The National Disaster Recovery Framework, which will provide guidance for the delivery of recovery assistance using current resources and authorities.
To facilitate further stakeholder input, DHS/FEMA and HUD have also developed the www.DisasterRecoveryWorkingGroup.gov Web site. Recovery stakeholders are invited to submit written input and see updates and information regarding this important national initiative.
SCHEDULE
The Report to the President is scheduled for delivery the first of April 2010. A DRAFT of the National Disaster Recovery Framework is anticipated for comment first quarter of 2010 with a final publication date scheduled for June 1, 2010.
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