Have Jurisdictions within STATES become Federal Welfare Receivers? Lack of Planning? Unknown Vulnerabilities? June 2021

With vulnerability, mitigation, and other risk management plans is there a lack of Emergency Management funding and planning at the local level to anticipate events?

Have local jurisdictions lack of planning relying more, and more on federal assets and resources to come to the rescue?

FEMA Advisory

FEMA Support for Florida Following Building Collapse 

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On June 24, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. approved an emergency declaration for the state of Florida making federal assistance available to supplement state and local recovery efforts to the emergency conditions resulting from the Surfside Building Collapse.

• The declaration authorizes the Individuals and Households Program for Miami-Dade County.
• Survivors whose primary home was damaged or destroyed by the building collapse may be eligible for financial assistance for temporary housing and uninsured losses under the Housing Assistance provision of the IHP.
• Financial assistance is also available under the Other Needs Assistance (ONA) provision of the IHP to assist with funeral and medical expenses, uninsured losses to personal property and vehicles, and other necessary expenses and serious needs caused by the disaster.
• The President directed FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to help alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the collapse.
• FEMA is committed to providing assistance to all eligible applicants and ensuring that information and resources are distributed equitably.
• Disaster response works best when it is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported. FEMA is in close coordination with the State of Florida and is assisting state and local efforts.

Operational Support to Partially Collapsed Building in Surfside, FL

• Following the collapse of the 12-story apartment/condo building in Surfside, FL on June 24, rescue personnel from Miami-Dade and City of Miami Task Forces responded to the initial collapse and have been on scene since.
• The Miami-Dade and City of Miami Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) teams are part of FEMA’s national US&R program; however, the teams deployed under their own authority as a local resource.
• Two additional US&R teams, operating under state authority and comprised of 35 members each, are en route to the site and expected to arrive Friday, June 25.
• US&R teams are routinely deployed for local and state response.
• Residents in unaffected portions of the structure have been evacuated.
• Cause of the collapse is unknown at this time.

FEMA Support

• FEMA is sending technical experts to support the city and state. Three additional US&R teams are prepared to respond and assist with the ongoing search and rescue activities.
• The US&R Incident Support Team is on alert and three FEMA liaison officers are en route to the scene. Additionally, FEMA’s Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) 1 is deploying to Surfside to assist.
• IMAT Teams are response-oriented and deploy in support of state, local, tribal and territorial government efforts to save lives, protect property, and provide life-sustaining services.

National Urban Search and Rescue System and Capabilities

• The National US&R Response System, established under FEMA’s authority, is a framework for organizing federal, state and local emergency response teams as integrated federal resources.
• Federal Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) Task Forces with the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System (the system) are equipped and ready to deploy within six hours in various response models.
• The system’s 28 US&R task forces can be deployed by FEMA to a disaster area to assist in structural collapse rescue, or they may be pre-positioned when a major disaster threatens a community. Specific capabilities include:
• Physical search and rescue operations in damaged/collapsed structures.
• Emergency medical care for entrapped survivors, task force personnel and search canines.
• Reconnaissance to assess damage and needs, and provide feedback to local, state, tribal, territorial, and federal officials.
• Assessment/shut-off of utilities to houses and other buildings.
• Hazardous materials surveys/evaluations.
• Structural/hazard evaluations of buildings needed for immediate occupancy to support disaster relief operations.
• Additional US&R teams are available to deploy nationwide to respond to other emergencies, should they be needed.