National Disaster Recovery Framework
The federal government, via the FEMA, shares its vision for how recovery would work best in the National Disaster Recovery Framework.
The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF):
- Lays out principles that should guide the recovery process
- Outlines the role of states, tribes, territorial and local jurisdictions in recovery
- Suggests how disaster recovery should ideally be coordinated within communities and between local, state, and federal organizations
A federal disaster declaration opens the channels for federal assistance to reach affected communities, counties, boroughs, parishes or unincorporated areas in a declared state.
The Declaration Process
Step 1
Assessing the Situation
First, a preliminary damage assessment involving local, state and federal organizations is conducted to determine the amount and types of assistance that may be appropriate. If the preliminary damage assessment approaches or surpasses the FEMA threshold for a federal declaration, the governor sends a request to the president requesting a declaration be made.
Step 2
Factors to Consider
Next, relying on information provided in the damage assessment and FEMA, the president considers what kind of resources should be made available to support those impacted, if any. Multiple factors are considered, such as the per-capita impact based on an assessment of estimates of costs to fix damages, the insurance coverage in force, whether other recent disasters have impacted the state, etc.
Step 3
Making the Call
Finally, if the president determines there is adequate need and the resources that might be made available under the Stafford Act would address those needs, the president makes an official declaration.
The forms of declaration the president may make are either an Emergency Declaration or a Major Disaster Declaration. Both declaration types authorize the president to provide supplemental federal disaster assistance. However, the event related to the declaration and the type and amount of assistance differ.
Emergency declarations can be declared for any occasion or instance when the president determines federal assistance is needed. This type of declaration provides reimbursement to state and local governments for a range of costs associated with emergency response and debris removal. The federal government provides this financial assistance on a cost-sharing basis, meaning it provides 75% of the reimbursable costs and state/local/tribal governments must provide the other 25%.
Notice that under this declaration, no federal funds for long-term recovery work or for assistance to impacted individuals and households are made available.
A major disaster declaration provides a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds for both emergency and permanent work. Major disaster declarations are not all the same, however, as not all programs will be activated for every disaster. The determination of which programs will be made available is based on the types of assistance specified in the request and the types of needs identified.
The president may authorize aid to governments through what is known as Public Assistance (PA). The president may also authorize assistance to nongovernmental entities (i.e. private businesses and individuals) through Small Business Administration (SBA) loans or Individual Assistance (IA). Assistance for individuals can include food, shelter, financial assistance and the repair of physical damage resulting from a disaster.
In extremely rare cases, individual assistance through a program called the Individuals and Households Program may be permitted under an emergency declaration.
State government support for local recovery includes:
- Participating in damage assessments
- Procuring federal funding
- Coordinating state resources, agencies and departments
- Adjusting existing laws or policies or creating new laws or policies
- Providing technical assistance on recovery planning and mitigation practices
- In some cases, states may also provide financial assistance directly to impacted jurisdictions.
tate Recovery Plans
Exactly what states do to support local jurisdictions during recovery will vary from state to state and from event to event. However, a state recovery plan should outline which agencies plan to help and in what ways. States may also indicate within the plan how they envision engaging with the voluntary organization community during recovery. They may plan to leverage support of a state voluntary agency liaison to do so or to assign personnel to coordinate with the state VOAD or some other means.
In larger scale events where most or all of a jurisdiction is impacted and all forms of disaster assistance are available along with other federal resources, a more holistic approach to coordination is more useful. In some cases, a recovery coordinator or manager is designated to lead coordination, but these individuals are typically not in that position pre-disaster and they may or may not come from the community or have disaster experience of any kind.
No One Plans to Fail
Unfortunately, the truth is that the vast majority of local jurisdictions are just not prepared for recovery. As we’ve highlighted throughout this course, local government recovery efforts are often not thought through ahead of time. There tends to be a lack of experience with and knowledge about a whole host of things like:
- The likely impacts seen after disasters
- The resources that might be used to address impacts and how to access them
- How historical, cultural and environmental resources might be protected
- The investments that might be made in mitigation, sustainability and resilience
- How individuals and households are impacted
- How to support individuals’ recovery in a holistic, socially just way
- The challenges associated with recovery and how they may be avoided
As a result of the lack of preparedness, recovery is not holistic, just or community-wide. It is disjointed, too slow, and at times, controversial. Some recovery tasks are rushed while others are too slow and in the process, opportunities to improve the overall resilience of the community are missed.
ducation is Needed
The uncertainty surrounding recovery can make it difficult for a community to see the light at the end of the tunnel and move toward a new normal. It can also be detrimental to the critical role that voluntary organizations play in supporting the recovery of individuals and households. The piecemeal approach taken by a jurisdiction can leave voluntary organizations confused as they navigate their role in recovery addressing unmet needs. A focus on developing knowledge and leadership related to recovery, as well as preparing to coordinate large-scale events, would better prepare local jurisdictions for recovery.
Help
Public Assistance (PA) refers to funds for repairing or replacing essential public systems and facilities. It is available for public properties and some non-governmental organizations’ properties which function in a public capacity.
Public Assistance supports costs related to specific projects such as emergency response, debris removal, road and bridge repairs, emergency protective measures for water control systems, public buildings and contents, public utilities and parks, recreational and other facilities.
Often there is a percentage amount–usually 25%–that the state is responsible for with this type of assistance. Debris removal can be very expensive for the state. The state may be able to apply some of the voluntary services, supplies and equipment toward part of that amount. There are specific tasks, services, equipment and materials that can be utilized in this offset.
Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) offers financial aid to governments for efforts to prevent damage in future disasters and for long-term recovery community efforts. Hazard mitigation is any action taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards. Mitigation planning is important in breaking the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction and repeated damage.
Measures such as strengthening buildings to withstand earthquakes; raising furnaces, storage areas, electrical panels or entire buildings above flood elevations, and building levees are included in Hazard Mitigation.
A major disaster declaration may authorize access to low-interest, long-term loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a form of assistance. When allowed, these loans are available to impacted renters, homeowners, business owners and nonprofits to cover the costs of repair or replacement that were not covered by insurance. With respect to business owners and nonprofits, loans can also be used as capital to help weather the economic shock from an event.
As with any loan, certain conditions must be met for the loan to be granted, like having adequate collateral and the ability to repay the loan. Collateral is where you secure a loan by promising to give up something of significant financial value were you not to repay the loan according to terms. Unfortunately, the conditions that must be met to secure an SBA loan typically limit the number of individuals eligible to receive one even though it is a great resource.
Individual Assistance (IA) includes a variety of programs intended to meet basic needs and supplement disaster-recovery efforts. To access programs under IA, individuals have to apply and prove they are eligible. Eligibility requires valid identification, verification of citizenship, documentation of losses and proof of occupancy/ownership, among other items. When found eligible, individuals may be able to access some or all of the IA programs. DW-THIS SEEMS TO BE HOW THE MONEY IS FLOWING HERE IN PRINCETON TO HELP.
Individual Assistance includes the following programs:
- Mass Care and Emergency Assistance
- Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance
- Disaster Legal Services
- Disaster Case Management
- Individuals and Households Program (IHP)
The Individuals and Households Program (IHP) is associated with the most benefits. It provides financial and direct services for critical expenses not covered by insurance. These services are split into Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance.
| Assistance Program | Description | Services Available |
| Housing Assistance | Financial or direct assistance for housing-related needs such as home repairs or alternative living situations when a home is not inhabitable. | Temporary Housing AssistanceLodging Expenses ReimbursementHome RepairHome ReplacementPermanent Housing Construction |
| Other Needs Assistance* | Financial assistance for necessary expenses and serious needs directly caused by the disaster. | Childcare expensesMedical and Dental expensesFuneral and Burial expensesDamages to essential household items, clothing, tools required for workFuel for primary heat sourceClean-up itemsMoving and storage expensesOther necessary or serious expenses |
*Some types of Other Needs Assistance may only be provided if an applicant does not qualify for a disaster loan from the Small Business Administration.
Following the 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, the state was able to apply the following volunteer services, supplies and equipment toward the state’s 25% contribution:
Volunteer labor: $9,099,668
Donated equipment:$128,924
Donated material: $8,505,869
Total: $17,734,460
Hard to Come By
The authorization of Individual Assistance as part of a major disaster declaration is relatively rare. When it is authorized, it is typically in conjunction with the Small Business Administration disaster loans. In fact, before accessing any of the aid available under the IA program, impacted individuals and households MUST APPLY first for an SBA loan.
Additionally, individuals and households must have tapped into resources available at the community level and filed a claim with their insurance as well. Once individuals have done so, then, and only then, might they be able to access the different types of programs through Individual Assistance.
As a result, most disasters result in no federal assistance being made available to impacted individuals and households.
Congressionally Appropriated Funds
Congress may appropriate dollars to the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support disaster needs. These funds supplement the dollars made available through other on-going assistance programs. There is some flexibility in how the funds may be used. They may be applied to meet unmet disaster needs, long-term recovery, infrastructure, housing or economic needs.
Other Possible Sources
The United States Department of Agriculture, Fannie Mae, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are just a few examples of other federal entities that may become involved post-disaster and provide resources by statute.
It is important to know that when these other forms of federal assistance become available, the aid is still usually administered government to government and not given directly to impacted individuals and households.
Another limitation is that federal resources are just not intended to make jurisdictions or individuals whole again. The resources from the federal government are meant to supplement and work in conjunction with state and local resources.
Finally, the maximum amount of all housing and personal property assistance that can be received through the Individual and Households Program is capped each year. For those working in recovery it is important to know the amount of these “max grants”.
As of 2022, the maximum award for housing is $37,900 and another $37,900 for other needs, for a total of $75,800.
The average amount awarded for those impacted by Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Katrina and the 2007 San Diego wildfires were between $7,000 and $8,000, while for Hurricanes Rita, Isaac and Gustav was only $3,000.
Voluntary organizations have been known to help individuals and households with:
- Disaster case management, information or referral services
- Collection, storage and dissemination of donated goods
- Feeding and nutrition support
- Debris-removal from private property
- Construction to repair or rebuild homes
- Mental health and counseling
- Medical care
- Spiritual support
- Care of animals
- Job and unemployment assistance
- Transportation
- Child services, child care or other child support
- Family reunification
- Senior services (e.g. outreach to isolated older persons)
- Immigrant services (e.g. helping find or replace documentation)
- Language services (e.g. translation)
- Financial assistance/grant making, including referrals for financial assistance
- Legal, insurance and mediation services
Unmet needs is the term used to describe the gap that remains from resources available to an individual or household to address the disaster-related need in order to recover and reach a new normal.
The Sequence of Assistance
The sequence of assistance establishes the order in which government and disaster-relief organizations provide assistance to disaster survivors. This sequence is intended to prevent duplication of benefits, maximize the available resources and coordinate efforts to help disaster survivors. Individuals and households must start with resources available at the community level and file a claim with their insurance. The image below shows the full sequence which begins and ends with voluntary organizations.
A long-term recovery group is a cooperative body made up of representatives from faith-based, non-profit, government, business and other organizations working within a community to assist individuals and families during their recovery.
They will form after disasters to help coordinate efforts to address unmet needs. These groups may go by many different titles. For example, some might be labeled unmet-needs committees, while others are called a recovery coalition, recovery roundtable, recovery-resource coordinating council or long-term recovery partnership. Typically, membership consists of the organizations that have resources such as financial or material assets, information or expertise and voluntary labor that will be valuable in meeting unmet needs. Regardless of the actual name, structure of the group, its goals, decision-making processes and leadership and membership composition, the mission is to unite recovery resources with needs to ensure that even the most vulnerable in the community recover from the disaster.
Despite the many differences in the structure of long-term recovery groups, many of these groups form subcommittees that focus on a specific area or need. The most common are unmet needs/disaster case management, construction management, volunteer management, donations management, emotional and spiritual care and communications.
Of note, most long-term recovery groups cease existence at some point because all needs have been met or all available resources have been allocated. However, some evolve into a COAD or file to become a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
akeaways
- The vast majority of local jurisdictions are just not prepared for recovery. A focus on developing knowledge and leadership, as well as preparing to coordinate large-scale events, would better prepare local jurisdictions for a holistic recovery.
- Most disasters result in no federal assistance being made available to impacted individuals and households. Even if assistance is provided, there is often a wide gap in unmet needs, particularly with the most vulnerable members of communities.
- The need for voluntary organizations to offer support will be just as important in small, localized events with relatively few impacts, as it is in large, regional events with a wide range of impacts. In undeclared disasters, no resources from the federal government are made available and the brunt of assistance falls on voluntary organizations. Without their involvement, many communities would suffer more and longer.
- Voluntary organizations have a responsibility for ensuring that the assistance they provide is appropriate, just, timely and effective. There are resources available to assist voluntary organizations in developing appropriate standards of care.