Skip to main content
Report File
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Department of Homeland Security OIG
Other Participating OIGs
Department of Homeland Security OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Department of Homeland Security
Components
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Report Number
OIG-21-43
Report Description

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has not prioritized compliance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000). According to FEMA officials, the agency has instead focused on immediate needs of disaster operations and other high- profile initiatives necessary to carry out its mission. As such, FEMA has not published regulations and related policies as required by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to reduce repetitive damages to facilities, including the Nation’s roads and bridges. We made four recommendations to FEMA, including that FEMA should prioritize the DMA 2000 by addressing the unresolved implementation issues and publishing a regulation as required.

Report Type
Audit
Number of Recommendations
4
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0

Open Recommendations

This report has 2 open recommendations.
Recommendation Number Significant Recommendation Recommended Questioned Costs Recommended Funds for Better Use Additional Details
1 No $0 $0

We recommend the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator address unresolved implementation issues, publish proposed regulations for notice and comment within 1 year, and issue final regulations within 3 years of issuance of this report for implementation of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, 42 U.S.C. § 5172(b)(2).

4 No $0 $0

We recommend the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator review and resolve hazard mitigation challenges, such as: 1. ensuring education and training of states and applicants on mitigationprograms and availability of funding at the state and applicant levels;2. revising criteria and instructions for completing benefit-cost analyses toclarify and streamline the process and assist applicants with meeting therequired benefit-cost threshold;3. streamlining the processes from application submission to approval todecrease applicants’ wait time for mitigation; and4. considering existing flexibilities to adjust the cost share for applicantsexperiencing financial hardships.

Department of Homeland Security OIG

United States