Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Task Force Preparedness, Response, and Resilience Task Force
September 6, 2011
On Tuesday, September 6, 2011, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) released comments of its Preparedness, Response and Resilience Task Force on the Draft National Preparedness Goal. The members of the Task Force recommend that the Draft National Preparedness Goal be modified to include a more robust recognition of the importance of risk management processes, systems-based approaches to national preparedness, and explicit outcome-based measurements of preparedness.
“The actions leading up to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee serve as a reminder of the important role that preparedness plays in our nation’s ability to be resilient to disasters,” said Task Force co-chair and former Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) R. David Paulison. “The development of a new National Preparedness Goal provides an excellent opportunity for the public, private, and non-profit sectors, in addition to families and individuals, to enhance America’s capacity to counter the negative effects of disasters.”
FEMA released the Draft National Preparedness Goal for public comment last month as part of the implementation of Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8), National Preparedness, which was unveiled at HSPI in April. The Task Force provided this commentary to FEMA as part of the formal comment process. After the new National Preparedness Goal is finalized, Federal partners are tasked with submitting a description of a new National Preparedness System in late November. The National Preparedness System will be informed by the new National Preparedness Goal.
“Given the significance of this document and the potential impact it will have on America’s approach to national preparedness for the next several years, we felt it was important to provide our colleagues in government with some recommendations to consider as they look to submit the document to the White House later this month,” said Daniel Kaniewski, Task Force co-chair and Deputy Director of HSPI.
The implementation of PPD-8 comes as the country responds to a number of disasters in 2011, including large snow storms in the northeast last winter, a tragically severe tornado season, and a hurricane season that has already seen three tropical cyclones make landfall in the U.S.
“As we’ve seen this year, effective preparedness must involve the efforts of the entire nation,” said Task Force co-chair and former New York State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Michael Balboni. “We hope our recommendations will help officials make some tangible improvements to the country’s preparedness doctrine going forward.”
The commentary is part of a series of contributions examining resilience policy that the Task Force is offering this year, which will culminate in a Final Report that will offer further recommendations for Federal policymakers on how to enhance national resilience. “The Task Force continues to examine past and present disasters as we formulate our thinking around resilience policy,” said Kaniewski. “We look forward to providing additional recommendations in the weeks and months to come.”
Download the report (.pdf)
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HSPI's Preparedness, Response & Resilience Task Force brings together experts from government, academia, and the private and non-profit sectors to consider contemporary policy issues facing the nation's homeland security, first responder, and emergency management communities. To this end, the Task Force convenes sessions with the nation's policymakers and publishes policy papers and reports with actionable policy recommendations for the future.
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Founded in 2003, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) is a nonpartisan think and do tank whose mission is to build bridges between theory and practice to advance homeland security through an interdisciplinary approach. By convening domestic and international policymakers and practitioners at all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and academia, HSPI creates innovative strategies and solutions to current and future threats to the nation.
