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GAO-09-59R 1 (2008-11-21)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaanlb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: i AlG A 0 _Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 November 21, 2008 Congressional Requesters: Subject: Actions Taken to Implement the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 On August 29, 2005, and in the ensuing days, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma devastated the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Hurricane Katrina alone affected more than a half million people located within approximately 90,000 square miles spanning Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, ultimately resulted in over 1,600 deaths, and has spawned one of the largest natural disaster relief and recovery operations in U.S. history. Almost 3 years prior to the hurricanes, the Homeland Security Act of 2002' created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) largely in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Homeland Security Act merged 22 disparate agencies and organizations into the new department, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Homeland Security Act generally charged DHS with securing the homeland against terrorist attacks and carrying out the functions of all transferred entities, including acting as a focal point regarding natural and man- made crises and emergency planning. Among its responsibilities, DHS was to build a comprehensive national incident management system comprising all levels of government and consolidate existing federal government emergency response plans into a single, coordinated national response plan. Hurricane Katrina severely tested disaster management at the federal, state, and local levels and revealed weaknesses in the basic elements of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from any catastrophic disaster. Beginning in February 2006, reports by the House Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the White House Homeland Security Council, the DHS Inspector General, DHS, and FEMA all identified a variety of failures and some strengths in the preparations for, response to, and initial recovery from Hurricane Katrina. We also have an extensive body of work on emergency management and catastrophic disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, which is listed at the end of this document. 'Pub. L. No. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002). GAO-09-59R Actions to Implement the Post-Katrina Act