OMB has issued a memo calling on agencies to participate in the development and execution of a social service and small business coordination plan for responding to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
FEMA is to serve as the coordination lead and the memo, M-10-18, outlines the plan’s parameters and immediate action steps.
The plan is to include:
* A communication strategy showing how federal, state, local and tribal organizations will effectively manage the flow of information to avoid duplication, enable rapid decision-making, and efficiently manage the flow of data between these organizations and the responsible parties;
* A deployment strategy showing how federal agencies will support the efforts of states to meet evolving requirements;
* An operational concept of "no wrong door" that will enable individuals, families, and small businesses to easily navigate and apply for the benefits and resources they may need;
* A contingency-plan that will enable the federal government to rapidly and effectively meet surges in demand.
The memo calls on agencies to identify a senior official to serve as a key point of contact, and that official will in turn be asked to identify a second "tier" of individuals to participate in an interagency workgroup, representing agency stakeholder components.
The senior official will also need to identify a third tier individuals and other staff that may be called upon in the event of increased demand, and OMB said those individuals should be prepared for deployment in the event of escalating needs.
