FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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GAO Report: DHS, FEMA Disaster
Recovery Contracting Process Needs Major Fixes
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April 25, 2019 (WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G.
Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, announced
the release of a new
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report he requested on the DHS and
FEMA contracting process for disaster recovery efforts.
The report, entitled “Actions Needed to Improve the Use
of Post-Disaster Contracts to Support Response and Recovery” found that:
Chairman Thompson released the following statement on the
report:
“This GAO report makes clear that the federal
government still has work to do when it comes to contracting for disaster
recovery and response efforts. Spending on disaster contracts lacks
much-needed transparency – taxpayers need to know what they’re funding to
provide survivors assistance in the aftermath of a disaster. The GAO
also found that disaster recovery contracting is not locally focused, so
businesses feeling the pain of loss after a disaster are often not given the
chance to help rehabilitate their community and restart their business.
“The GAO report also highlights how FEMA is still
undergoing serious staffing challenges that need to be addressed by the
Administration. As we are about to enter the 2019 hurricane season, I
urge DHS and FEMA to promptly fill these important vacancies and follow
through on the GAO’s recommendations that will increase productivity and
transparency in the disaster response and recovery process.”
Following the release of the report, Chairman Thompson
sent a
letter to Acting FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor to demand answers
about the large slate of vacancies in FEMA’s contracting workforce.
# # #
Media contact: Adam Comis at (202) 225-9978
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Thursday, April 25, 2019
GAO Report: DHS, FEMA Disaster Recovery Contracting Process Needs Major Fixes
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
CERF: The fund that functions 'like the ambulance for the UN'. April 2019
"What
CERF does best is get there very early," explains Lisa Doughten, who
oversees operations of the U.N.'s Central Emergency Response Fund.
Will require login
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Local entrepreneurs on funding access: 'The system is broken'. April 2019
Investing in social entrepreneurs is an
oft-touted solution to tackling development challenges. But the system
designed to support them is flawed, several entrepreneurs at the Skoll World
Forum tell Devex. Read more
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How funders are fighting philanthropy that is 'top down, closed door, expert driven'. April 2019
Philanthropy has come under scrutiny over
the past year for being removed from those most impacted by the problems
funders are trying to solve. Many leaders now want to shift from funding from
afar to supporting local solutions. Read more
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Saturday, April 20, 2019
May 14, 2019 Opportunities. Meet leading Emergency Management and Communications Decision Makers from Kenya
Opportunity to meet leading emergency
management and
communications decision makers from Kenya
On a visit to the United States, decision makers from Kenya
will meet with leading U.S. providers of emergency management and communications equipment
and technologies, as Kenya plans to make upgrades and improve responses to
natural disasters in remote areas. The visit, hosted by the U.S. Trade and
Development Agency, will allow U.S. companies to meet with and showcase their
solutions to the delegation and learn about upcoming project opportunities.
USTDA’s contractor, Tuatara Group, is organizing the
visit.
For more information, please visit the event
website, click here Or,
contact: Pamela Peseux, RTM Manager, Tuatara Group
email:
projectteam@tuataragroup.com
phone: +1301-335-1725
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 | 9 AM -
2 PM
U.S. Trade & Development Agency
Wilson Boulevard
Suite 1100
Arlington, VA 22209 Phone: +1-703-875-4357 www.ustda.gov
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR U.S. COMPANIES
• Learn about upcoming
opportunities in Kenya’s emergency management sector
• Form
new business partnerships
• Host the delegation
• Meet one-on-one with
key decision makers
9:00 am Registration
9:30 am Welcome & Introductions by USTDA
9:45 am Delegation Presentations followed by
Q&A
10:45 pm Coffee break and networking
11:00 pm Delegation Presentations followed by
Q&A
11:30 pm Best Practices Roundtable
1:00 pm Networking Lunch
2:00 pm One-on-One Meetings
* Notional agenda, subject to change.
DELEGATES’ AREAS OF INTEREST
• Emergency response communications technologies
• Emergency Notification Systems
• Disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation technologies
• Best practices in emergency communications
• Policy and regulatory enablers
RESERVE
YOUR SEAT TODAY
Registration is
required.
FREE. U.S. Government or Supporting Organization
$40 Registration Fee
for U.S. Organization. An investment includes a networking luncheon and
a Business Briefing Handbook with background on the sector and delegates.
In 2018, several areas throughout Kenya,
including Nairobi, experienced severe flooding, displacing households,
damaging roads and bridges, preventing or limiting humanitarian access to
many of the affected areas, cutting off people’s access to markets in
multiple locations, displacing at least 244,407 people (45,219 households)
and causing more than 80 deaths. The
country struggles to provide its citizens with basic emergency services,
leaving much of its population without access to timely and often life-saving
assistance.
The Government of Kenya (GoK),
through the National Disaster Operations Centre (NDOC) within the Ministry of
Interior, has been working to address shortfalls in its emergency management
response systems. GoK plans to invest in a number of projects to upgrade its
emergency management systems to improve responsiveness to national disasters
and emergencies including monitoring, coordinating, and mobilizing resources
to respond to disasters. The GoK is also prioritizing the development and
procurement of additional emergency communications systems which use
technology to coordinate efforts between multiple agencies such as police,
fire, health, and public utilities.
This visit provides an opportunity
for the delegates to learn more about U.S. best practices in emergency
management communications as well as meet with the U.S. companies providing
innovative communications systems and services that support emergency
management and disaster relief operations in the U.S. and globally. and
globally.
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Change without Sacrifice is an Illusion. Lisa Ellis
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