FEMA's preparedness for the next catastrophic disaster

In March 2008, we issued a report in response to a request from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to perform a high-level assessment of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's preparedness to handle a future disaster. We reported that the agency had made progress in all of the key preparedness areas we reviewed, although in some areas the progress was modest or limited. The primary objective of this assessment was to determine the progress the Federal Emergency Management Agency has made in the key preparedness areas. We reviewed pertinent reports, including those of our office and the Government Accountability Office, as well as congressional testimony. We interviewed agency officials and evaluated documents provided by them. Within each of the ten key preparedness areas, we collaborated with agency officials to confirm that the critical components identified in 2008 were still relevant or to update the critical components. We assessed the agency's progress in each of the areas against a four-tiered scale: substantial progress, moderate progress, modest progress, and limited or no progress.