GAO Calls for National Disaster Mitigation Strategy

Now more than ever, with climate change concerns and increasing development in vulnerable areas, the federal government needs a disaster mitigation strategy as part of the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s charge, states a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office released in August. FEMA, other federal agencies, and nonfederal stakeholders have collaborated on natural hazard mitigation, but the current approach is fragmented and does not provide a comprehensive national strategic framework for mitigation, according to the report. Specific actions called for—of pre- and post-mitigation efforts—include common mitigation goals; performance measures and reporting requirements; and the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local agencies, and nongovernmental stakeholders. Download the full report from the Government Accountability Office Web site.