WASHINGTON–U.S. government plans and strategies for coping with catastrophic events need to be fundamentally reformed and should be a priority for the incoming Congress, according to recommendations from the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO's position on what it believes should be the priorities for the next Congress were laid out by Comptroller General David Walker in a letter to House and Senate leaders, as well as leaders of the House Government Reform Committee, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental affairs, and both Appropriations Committees.
"There are two general themes that support our recommendations," Mr. Walker said in the letter. "First, we cannot afford to continue business as usual in Washington, given our current deficit and growing long-term fiscal challenges. Second, most of the federal government's current policies, programs, functions and activities are based on conditions that existed decades ago, are not results-based, and are not well aligned with 21st century realities.
"Therefore, there is a need to engage in a fundamental review, reprioritization, and re-engineering of the base of government."
The issue of government's response to a catastrophic event was among those listed under the heading "Policies and Programs That are in Need of Fundamental Reform and Re-Engineering," and was listed second behind the issue of stabilization efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
GAO said the Congress should also consider how the federal government can work with nonprofit and private-sector organizations, such as private insurers like the Red Cross, to help ensure the nation is well prepared and recovers effectively from catastrophes.
It should also examine working with other levels of government and other nations, GAO said.
Given the billions of dollars dedicated to preparing for, responding to, and recovering/rebuilding from catastrophic disasters, GAO said that "congressional oversight is critical."
"Disaster preparation and response that is well-planned and coordinated can save lives and mitigate damage, and an effectively functioning insurance market can substantially reduce the government's exposure to post-catastrophe payouts," the GAO letter said.
Risk management, the recommendations noted, also plays a role in the GAO's efforts to assist Congress, the Department of Homeland Security and others in preparing for and responding to catastrophic events.
Among the specific steps recommended by the GAO was clarifying the "leadership, roles, responsibilities and authorities," and effective assessment of the nation's capacity to prepare for and respond to events.
The GAO also recommended identifying the types and amounts of federal assistance that would be available for catastrophe programs and developing clear metrics to gauge those programs, as well as determining the extent to which state and federal programs consider risk-based factors when making resource decisions.
For the National Flood Insurance Program, the GAO recommended examining the availability of private insurance.
Additionally, the GAO said lawmakers should identify ways for the program to improve NFIP financial standing, mitigate repetitive losses, increase compliance with mandatory purchasing rules and speed up flood map modernization efforts.
"Lessons learned from past national emergencies provide an opportunity for the Congress to look at actions that could mitigate the effects of potential catastrophic events," the GAO said.
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