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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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April
2005
Volume 8 - Number 3 |
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Fiscal Year 2006 Budget Request for FEMA in the DHS Budget By Joanie Rainey The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was established in 1979 as an independent agency and transferred to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003. Its major divisions include: Response, Recovery, Preparedness, Mitigation, U.S. Fire Administration, and Ten Operational Regions. Under the senior leadership of Under Secretary, Michael D. Brown, FEMA leads the federal government’s role in preparing for, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or manmade, including acts of terror. FEMA is responsible for managing and coordinating the federal response to major domestic disasters and emergencies of all types in accordance with the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. FEMA administers public assistance and hazard mitigation programs to prevent or to reduce the risk to life and property from floods and other hazards. Additionally, FEMA leads all federal incident management preparedness and response planning by building a comprehensive National Incident Management System (NIMS) that incorporates federal, state, tribal, and local government personnel, agencies and regional authorities. Disasters and acts of terrorism happen without notice; therefore FEMA stands ready to provide rapid assistance and resources in emergency situations when state and local responders are overwhelmed or unavailable. FEMA ensures that federal agencies are fully prepared and that a national plan exists to coordinate their disaster response into a single, comprehensive plan. Financial assistance is also provided to state and local governments as well as to citizens directly. The President’s fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget request for FEMA assumes a total of $20 million in enhanced catastrophic planning for response, recovery, and exercises. FEMA considers the challenges a disaster situation poses, including food and shelter, transportation, decontamination, and long-term housing needs. The budget requests $10.954 million to initiate infrastructure improvements at the main Continuity of Operations (COOP) facility, to develop alternate power generation capability, perform mechanical infrastructure repairs, and upgrades to the facility. The DHS seeks a total of $37 million for the Homeland Secure Data Network (HSDN) to address requirements for secure classified, computer-to-computer connectivity. The FEMA portion of this project is $2.1 million. The budget requests $5 million for support of the Nuclear Incident Response Team (NIRT) readiness and exercise activities. The funding will allow the NIRT to conduct regular field and tabletop exercises to increase capability for response readiness. The Administration and Regional Operations (ARO) account funded at $203 million in FY 2005, continues to support all FEMA programs and includes 978 authorized positions, rent for most facilities, Information Technology services, financial and acquisitions management, as well as funds for intergovernmental and international outreach offices. The $50 million in the new budget authority will allow the National Pre-disaster Mitigation (PDM) competitive grant program to assist states and communities to reach a higher level of risk management and risk reduction through planning and mitigation actions taken before disasters occur. This funding will restore PDM to pre-FY 2005 levels. Source: Homeland Security: Budget-in-Brief FY 2006. |