Management Challenges of Federal Agencies in Preparing for and Responding to Natural Disasters

As part of a Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Disaster Assistance Working Group cross-cutting initiative, we summarized the conclusions, findings, and recommendations of 28 reports related to the Federal Government’s natural disaster preparedness and response issued by 7 Offices of Inspector General (OIGs). The seven participating OIGs included U.S. Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, and Transportation and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Many of these reports focused on the Federal Government’s preparedness to respond to the devastating 2017 hurricanes. The 28 OIG reports, issued between June 2015 and November 2021, made 89 recommendations to the Federal agencies and grant recipients, including recapturing questioned costs, strengthening internal controls, maintaining adequate oversight of contractors and grants, and complying with Federal regulations. Agencies should learn from the results of these reports and implement controls and systems to limit future obstacles to spending disaster funds efficiently and effectively. Click below to read more about each management challenge. Challenge 1: Performance Management and Accountability Challenge 2: Human Capital Management Challenge 3: Financial Management Challenge 4: Procurement Management Challenge 5: Grant Management Challenge 6: Homeland Security and Disaster Preparedness Challenge 7: Information Technology Security and Management Appendix B Click here to access the full report. To access the CIGIE's 2021 Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing Multiple Federal Agencies report, click here.