GAO has recommended that FEMA, the agency primarily responsible for coordinating disaster response across agencies, and its parent department DHS issue additional guidance detailing expectations of emergency support function coordinators.
A report said that the 10 ESF coordinators in five departments studied had coordinated with other stakeholders and had issued at least one planning document. However, FEMA and DHS “have not worked with other federal departments to issue supplemental guidance detailing expectations for the minimum standards for activities and product deliverables necessary to demonstrate ESF preparedness. In the absence of such guidance, GAO found that ESF coordinators are inconsistently carrying out their emergency response preparedness activities,” it said.
It said that agencies have identified gaps in their disaster response capabilities that need stronger oversight. In particular, agencies should better inform DHS and FEMA of actions they are taking to address such shortcomings, and FEMA needs to generate metrics to measure progress in closing those gaps, such as specific timeframes, milestones, and estimated resources required. It said DHS concurred with the recommendations and identified related actions the department is taking to address them.
The report is here: http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/667300.pdf
