(TLP:CLEAR) First-of-its-Kind Study Provides Insights into Challenges Facing Emergency Management Agencies Across the Nation

Summary: This week, FEMA and its partners released a new study – the Emergency Management Organizational Structures, Staffing, and Capacity Study – that provides key insights into challenges faced by emergency managers across the nation. FEMA sponsored the study to better understand the emergency management landscape across the nation, including in cities, suburbs, rural areas, and tribal nations. The report summarizes quantitative and qualitative data from survey responses and interviews from over 1,700 emergency management officials nationwide.

Analyst Note: At least two of the study’s findings – that local and state emergency management agencies are best positioned to understand and address the unique needs of their communities but are typically understaffed and underfunded – correspond to a push in recent years away from heavy federal involvement and towards a system that is locally led, state managed, and federally supported. On this point, the report observes that many states have relied excessively on federal grants to maintain emergency response capabilities – to their own detriment. To strengthen their resilience against disasters and emergencies, it advocates that they consistently invest in these capabilities.

Original Source: https://www.anl.gov/dis/npac/EMStudy

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 16-18