Federal Disaster Assistance

GAO discussed the results of past reports which dealt with a wide range of activities carried out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other Federal agencies involved in disaster relief. In a review of the poor controls over Federal aid in Massacuhusetts after the 1978 blizzard, there was found to be a lack of coordination among the Federal agencies as well as other weaknesses in administering disaster assistance programs. Duplicative payments and questionable grants occur because of a lack of program coordination and exchange of information. The award of a number of grants was questionable because of a lack of evidence that there was a serious need or necessary expense, and the eligibility of certain grant recipients was questionable. Conflicting information was submitted to support claims in other cases. In the award of transportation grants by the State of Massachusetts, overpayments were made. In a report which dealt with the preparedness of States to respond to emergencies, it was revealed that State emergency plans did not contain adequate procedures for carrying out the necessary tasks. Local plans did not conform to State plans. States had not established disaster training programs with minimum standards. In another report, GAO identified problems in the FEMA snow removal reimbursement policies and made several recommendations to correct these problems. GAO recommended legislation to require future snow removal reimbursements to be in the form of loans rather than grants and gave FEMA the authority to forgive the loans to the extent that a subsequent, detailed examination discloses that a State could not otherwise afford the cost of snow removal. The Act also unfairly penalizes or rewards States applying for Federal snow removal reimbursements because of differences in State laws and preparedness. Another GAO review examined the three generic forms of Federal assistance for funding natural disaster losses. These include loans, grants, and insurance. Insurance is a superior alternative means of delivering disaster assistance. FEMA can reasonably determine the severity and magnitude of a disaster, but lacks the ability to judge State and locality capabilities and their commitment of resources.