The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act authorizes the President to issue "major disaster" or "emergency" declarations before or after catastrophes occur.
This report discusses the evolution of the Federal Emergency Management Agencys (FEMAs) disaster declaration process, how it is administered and recent changes enacted into law as well as amending legislation that has been introduced.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must continually seek to integrate management operations under an authoritative governing structure capable of effectively overseeing and managing programs that cross component lines. This report identifies major challenges that affect the Department as a whole, as well as individual components.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is helping state and major urban area fusion centers assess baseline capabilities - such as the ability to receive, analyze, and disseminate threat information - and address capability gaps through an annual assessment process, resources it provides to centers to mitigate gaps, and an exercise program to evaluate capabilities in practice.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office was asked to review federal oversight of pesticide residues in food. This report examines what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data show with respect to pesticide residue violations in the foods that they regulate and with respect to residue levels in fruits and vegetables.
This report examines: (a) the timeliness of Small Business Administration's (SBA) disaster assistance to small businesses; (b) the loan approval rates for small businesses and reasons for decline following Hurricane Sandy and previous disasters; and (c) the extent to which SBA has implemented programs mandated by the Small Business Disaster Response and Loan Improvements Act of 2008.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the U.S. food supply is one of the safest in the world, yet estimate that Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination in food cause more than two million human illnesses each year. This report examines the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) approach to reduce these pathogens in poultry products.
Information is the lifeblood of medicine, and improving the availability and uses of health information is foundational for enhancing the modern health care system's efficiency and effectiveness. This report discusses the progress made on the adoption of health IT and the exchange and interoperability of health information.
This report provides an overview of federal and state public health laws as they relate to the quarantine and isolation of individuals and a discussion of constitutional issues that may be raised should individual liberties be restricted in a quarantine or isolation situation.
The Department of Homeland Security's Center for
Faith-based & Neighborhood Partnerships (i.e.,"DHS Center") created its Building Resilience with Diverse Communities (BRDC) program to examine the role of faith-based and community organizations in emergency preparedness and response. The BRDC program works to improve community resilience by engaging the whole community through its seven-stage process.
Climate change will affect the Department of Defense's (DOD) ability to defend the nation and poses immediate risks to U.S. national security. DOD is responding to climate change in two ways: adaptation to changes that are occurring or expected to occur; and mitigation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This report focuses on DOD's climate change adaptation activities.
