NU Online News Service, MAY 29, 3:55 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON–The Federal Emergency Management Agency must accelerate development of its plan to improve the nation's ability to respond to a national catastrophe, the Government Accountability Office said.

In a report issued today, the GAO announced it has found 68 percent of the plans needed to implement a national preparedness system have not yet been completed, although 41 of the 50 policies needed to define the roles and responsibilities of those who must implement the plan have been completed.

Included in those plans that have not been completed are several designed to deal with catastrophic incidents, the report said.

"As a result, the roles and responsibilities of key officials involved in responding to a catastrophe have not been fully defined and, thus, cannot be tested in exercises," the GAO wrote.

Hurricane Katrina pointed out the need for such programs, the GAO said, noting that the "lack of clarity in response roles and responsibilities among the diverse set of responders contributed to the disjointed response to Hurricane Katrina."

Moreover, the report said, the lackluster response to Hurricane Katrina "highlighted the need for clear, integrated disaster preparedness and response policies and plans."

The GAO said although best practices for program management call for a plan that includes key tasks and their target completion dates, "FEMA does not have such a plan."

With such a plan, GAO said, "FEMA would be better positioned to ensure that the policies and plans are completed and integrated with each other as intended as well as with other elements of the preparedness system."

The Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of FEMA, agreed with the report's findings, said GAO.

Special Reports /

FEMA Plans Found Lacking By GAO

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