Individuals with Disabilities Receive a Range of Disaster Assistance from FEMA and Other Entities, but FEMA Could Improve Its Support of Some Efforts

		FEMA Assists Individuals with Disabilities by Promoting Inclusive Practices to Groups That Respond to Disasters

Since the Post-Katrina Act was enacted, FEMA has promoted inclusive  practices for assisting disaster survivors with disabilities in several ways. To comply with the Post-Katrina Act requirement to appoint a Disability  Coordinator, FEMA created the Office of Disability Integration and  Coordination (ODIC) in 2010 to increase attention to disaster assistance  that considers the needs of people with disabilities across FEMA and  among groups responding to disasters, such as state and local  emergency managers. Lack of Procedure Limits ODIC’s Potential Effectiveness with Regional Disability Integration Activities

Despite the progress made by FEMA to promote practices to address the  needs of individuals with disabilities, these efforts may be hindered  because, according to ODIC officials, there is no established procedure  for involving ODIC in certain efforts related to regional disability  integration staff. ODIC officials said that FEMA’s Regional  Administrators—not ODIC—determine the reporting chain for these staff,  and regions vary in the extent to which they consult with ODIC on  disability integration issues. Internal control standards state that, in establishing an  organizational structure, agencies should consider how their components  interact and define reporting lines that allow the components to  communicate information necessary to fulfill their respective  responsibilities. However, given the number of local officials who play a role in disaster response, many state and  local emergency managers have yet to take the training. Individuals with Limited English Proficiency Receive Disaster Information in Different Languages from FEMA and Other Stakeholders

		FEMA Provides Translations of Written and Verbal Information about Its Programs to Individuals with Limited English Proficiency

FEMA provides information on its programs to individuals with limited  English proficiency through written and oral translations in other  languages and through additional resources, such as a coordinator and  support team focused on limited English proficiency. State and Local Agencies and Voluntary Organizations in Selected Disasters Provided Health and Safety Information to Individuals with Limited English Proficiency

State, local, or voluntary organizations in all six disasters we reviewed  disseminated information on evacuations and shelters using a range of  communication methods and translation services to assist individuals with  limited English proficiency in accessing resources. Following the need for  reuniting children with their families and for other assistance for children  highlighted during Hurricane Katrina, the Post-Katrina Act required that  FEMA establish the National Emergency Child Locator Center, a child  reunification call center operated by the National Center for Missing and  Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC also maintains the Unaccompanied  Minors Registry, a national repository for information about children who  may be separated from their families as a result of a disaster. Nevertheless, FEMA continues to work with NCMEC and other  partners on maintaining reunification resources. For example, in 2015  FEMA renewed an agreement it has with NCMEC to provide funding for  deploying NCMEC personnel onsite following disasters. Since the enactment of the Post-Katrina Act, FEMA has worked with  governmental and non-governmental entities more generally to address  the needs of families with children who are affected by disasters. The lack of established procedures for involving ODIC  in the disability integration activities of the regional staff has resulted in  misunderstood roles, a lack of awareness about potentially  underperforming staff, and inconsistent communication between the  regions and headquarters. To better ensure FEMA’s regional activities effectively support  individuals with disabilities, the Secretary of Homeland Security  should direct the FEMA Administrator to take steps to establish written  procedures for how regions should involve the Office of Disability  Integration and Coordination in clarifying disability integration staff’s  roles, evaluating staff performance, and setting expectations for how  staff communicate with headquarters and the regions. To help ensure its key training on incorporating access and functional  needs into emergency planning reaches a sufficiently wide audience,  the Secretary should direct the FEMA Administrator to collect  information about the potential pool of participants, set general goals  for the number of state and local emergency managers that will take  this course, and implement the delivery methods needed to meet  these goals. Actions Taken to Implement the Post-Katrina Emergency Management  Reform Act of 2006, GAO-09-59R.
Why GAO Did This Study

In 2005, individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, and families with children were disproportionately affected by Hurricane Katrina. For example, some of those who had to abandon their wheelchairs could not evacuate because they were unable to wait in long lines for evacuation buses. The Post-Katrina Act required FEMA and other entities to take certain actions to assist these individuals, such as through the establishment of a Disability Coordinator within FEMA. GAO was asked to examine implementation of the Post-Katrina Act.
This report assesses the extent to which FEMA and other entities provide disaster services to individuals with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, and children in need of family reunification. GAO examined federal, state, and local disaster assistance efforts for six major disasters that occurred from March 2014 through October 2015, where federal response and recovery efforts included assistance to the three target groups and that varied in location and type of disaster. GAO interviewed relevant officials, visited three of the six sites, and analyzed emergency operations plans and disaster summary reports.

What GAO Found

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has taken steps to improve its disaster services for people with disabilities and its support to other entities, such as state and local governments. FEMA established the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) following enactment of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (Post-Katrina Act) to lead the agency's efforts to promote inclusiveness in disaster planning, response, and recovery. However, there is no established procedure for FEMA Regional Administrators, who oversee disability integration staff in the regions, to involve ODIC in the activities of these staff. As a result, regions vary in the extent to which they consult with ODIC, which has led to a lack of clarity in regional disability integration staff roles, a lack of awareness of potentially underperforming staff, and inconsistent communication between the regions and headquarters. Federal internal control standards state that organizational structures should allow the organization's components to communicate information necessary to fulfill their respective responsibilities. Communication gaps between ODIC and the regions may prevent regional disability integration staff from effectively supporting state and local governments in meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities affected by disasters. ODIC also has not established goals for how many state and local emergency managers should take its key training on integrating the needs of individuals with disabilities into disaster planning. Nor has ODIC evaluated alternative methods to deliver the training more broadly, such as virtually in addition to classroom training. As a result, state and local emergency managers may be ill-prepared to provide effective disaster services to those with disabilities.
FEMA and other entities assist individuals with limited English proficiency by translating information on disaster assistance programs. FEMA provides information about its assistance programs using print materials in other languages, bilingual staff, and a helpline with translators for more than 50 languages. State, local, and voluntary organizations also disseminate information on health and safety information, such as evacuations and sheltering: In five of the six disasters GAO reviewed where translation was needed, these entities reported using a range of services, from bilingual staff to multilingual helplines.
FEMA worked with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to establish a national call center designed to field calls with information about children separated from their families during disasters. NCMEC also maintains a registry that serves as a web-based repository created to collect this information. However, according to FEMA officials, no disasters since Hurricane Katrina have required national child reunification support. Nevertheless, FEMA continues to work with NCMEC on maintaining reunification resources, such as by funding the deployment of NCMEC personnel following disasters.

What GAO Recommends

FEMA should establish written procedures for involving ODIC in regional activities; set goals for the number of state and local emergency managers who will take a key training on disability integration; and evaluate alternative delivery methods for the training. FEMA concurred with all of the recommendations.