**GAO-09-369**                      Published: Apr 30, 2009. Publicly Released: May 29, 2009.                  

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## Highlights

Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive disaster in our nation's history and it highlighted gaps in preparedness for a catastrophic disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a component within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the lead federal agency responsible for developing a national preparedness system. The system includes policies and plans as well as exercises and assessments of capabilities across many public and private entities. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which FEMA has (1) developed policies and plans that define roles and responsibilities; (2) implemented the National Exercise Program, a key tool for examining preparedness; (3) developed a national capabilities assessment; and (4) developed a strategic plan that integrates these elements of the preparedness system. GAO analyzed program documents, such as after-action reports, and visited six states located in disaster regions. While the results of these visits are not generalizable, they show how select states carry out their efforts.

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## Topics

Homeland Security

Disaster planningDisaster recoveryDisaster recovery plansDisaster relief aidEmergency preparednessstate relationsHomeland securityHurricane KatrinaInternal controlsLessons learnedLocal governmentsNational policiesNatural disastersProgram evaluationProgram managementReporting requirementsReports managementRisk assessmentRisk managementState-administered programsStrategic information systems planningStrategic planningSystems analysisDisaster preparedness exerciseCorrective actionProgram goals or objectivesProgram implementation