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Strategic Objective

Goal 5.1: Enhance National Preparedness

Strategic Objective

Enhance National Preparedness

Themes:

National Defense

DHS.gov

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Overview
Progress Update

Overview

National preparedness underpins all efforts to safeguard and secure the Nation against those threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk. Presidential Policy Directive 8 calls for a National Preparedness Goal, which is "a secure and resilient Nation with the capabilities required across the Whole Community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk."

We will pursue the following strategies to enhance national preparedness:

Empower individuals and communities to strengthen and sustain their own

Progress Update

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has determined that performance toward this goal is making satisfactory progress.

Introduction
Preparedness against hazards, such as natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and pandemics is a shared responsibility that calls for the involvement of everyone—known as the “whole community” approach—in preparedness efforts. DHS continued to expand its whole community implementation of the National Preparedness System to build and sustain core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal. States and territories begin by assessing risks and identifying capability gaps and DHS supports the enhancement of national preparedness by implementing data-driven national programs that provide planning, training, exercise support, and resources. DHS made significant strides engaging the whole community and incorporating lessons learned from previous incidents into future planning.

Major Achievements
Every state and territory submitted a Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)¹, identified their capability gaps, and assessed progress. As of September 30, 2014, 71 percent of states are meeting the DHS THIRA guidance which is significant in that the implementation of this comprehensive planning process to assess risk and capabilities is still in the early stages. Over 5,400 contributors across all levels of government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participated in the THIRA process, an increase of 4,191 contributors over last year due to improved communication, planning, and outreach efforts. America’s PrepareAthon! had over 17 million participants register to conduct preparedness actions in events across the country as of September 30, 2014.

DHS brought together federal, state, local, and territorial jurisdictions, NGOs, and private industry partners to exercise significant planning and preparedness needs through the 2014 CAPSTONE series of exercises designed to educate and prepare participants for potential catastrophic events. In addition, the Spill of National Significance Executive Seminar identified three major policy initiatives and established workgroups to address those initiatives. In response to the Ebola virus outbreak, DHS coordinated with federal, state, and local responders and quickly developed and delivered training and exercises on Personal Protective Measures for Biological Events to first responders to meet significant nationwide demand.

Major Challenges & Opportunities for Improvement
The greatest challenge in emergency management lies in preparing for a catastrophic disaster. DHS continues to improve its capacity to respond to incidents while engaging non-traditional partners. The National Preparedness Report identified Access Control and Identity Verification core capabilities as a new national area for improvement, along with cybersecurity, housing, infrastructure systems, long-term vulnerability reduction, and economic recovery. The increased potential for landside and maritime disasters, natural disasters or manmade disasters, will continue to challenge the Nation’s current capacity to prepare for and respond to incidents while encouraging innovation to adapt to changing circumstances.

¹The THIRA process is a comprehensive assessment for identifying community-specific threats and hazards, setting capability targets for each core capability identified in the National Preparedness Goal, and estimating resources needed to meet the capability targets.

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Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal:

Mission 5: Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience

Statement:

Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience

Strategic Objectives

Goal 5.1: Enhance National Preparedness

Statement:

Enhance National Preparedness

Description:

We will pursue the following strategies to enhance national preparedness:

Empower individuals and communities to strengthen and sustain their own preparedness by engaging public and community organizations through programs such as America’s Preparathon! to build a collective understanding of their risks, the resources available to assist their preparations, and their roles and responsibilities in the event of a disaster.
Build and sustain core capabilities nationally to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from all hazards by conducting such activities as: 1) fostering capability development by providing tools and technical assistance; 2) providing planning and reach-back expertise; 3) using grant programs such as the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative (which collectively provide funds to state, local, tribal, territorial, and regional government and port, transit, and nonprofit entities); and 4) promoting the use of the National Planning Frameworks. These activities support the Department’s intent to build and sustain a national integrated network of capabilities across all levels of government and to promote the involvement of the Whole Community in the Nation’s preparedness efforts.
Assist federal entities in the establishment of effective continuity programs that are regularly updated, exercised, and improved by administering the National Exercise Program, the cornerstone of a collective effort to test, improve, and assess national preparedness.

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: Ensure resilience to disasters by strengthening disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

Statement:

By September 30, 2015 states and territories will demonstrate improvement towards achieving their core capability targets established through their Threat and Hazards Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA).

Description:

To enhance national preparedness and resilience, FEMA established the THIRA to provide a common approach for identifying and assessing risks and documenting their associated impacts. Developing an understanding of its risks from natural, technological, and human-caused threats and hazards allows a community to make informed decisions about how to manage risk and develop needed capabilities.

In addition, states and territories assess their current capability and set targets for improvement for preventing, protecting against, mitigating, responding to, and recovering from these threats and hazards. FEMA expects states and territories to mature and demonstrate improvement towards achieving their capability targets over the next two years through their THIRAs.

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Goal 5.2: Mitigate Hazards and Vulnerabilities

Statement:

Mitigate Hazards and Vulnerabilities

Description:

DHS is uniquely positioned not only to support communities during a disaster, but also to enable partners to take steps that will decrease risk and mitigate future hazards before a disaster strikes. While risk cannot be totally eliminated, DHS can influence and support more positive outcomes in reducing risks. National risk management emphasizes focusing on those actions and interventions that reduce the greatest amount of strategic risk to the Nation.

We will pursue the following strategies to mitigate hazards and vulnerabilities:

Promote public and private sector awareness and understanding of community-specific risks by providing credible and actionable data and tools to support risk-informed decision making and incentivizing and facilitating investments to manage current and future risk.
Reduce vulnerability through standards, regulation, resilient design, effective mitigation, and disaster risk reduction measures by encouraging appropriate land use and adoption of building codes, while also applying engineering and planning practices in conjunction with advanced technology tools.
Prevent maritime incidents by establishing, and ensuring compliance with standards and regulations by licensing U.S. mariners, conducting and sharing findings of casualty investi-gations, and providing grants and support for government and nongovernment boating safety efforts.

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: Ensure resilience to disasters by strengthening disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

Statement:

Description:

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Goal 5.3: Ensure Effective Emergency Response

Statement:

Ensure Effective Emergency Response

Description:

DHS, primarily through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on land and the U.S. Coast Guard at sea, acts as the federal coordinator during disaster response, supporting state, local, tribal, territorial, and regional governments while working closely with nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to help leverage the resources they can bring to bear.

We will pursue the following strategies to ensure effective emergency response:

Provide timely and accurate information to individuals and communities to support public safety and inform appropriate actions by the public before, during, and after emergencies.
Conduct effective, unified incident response operations by following the National Response Framework, Second Edition; maximizing interagency coordination, information sharing, and preparation; and implementing initiatives to ensure a stable, flexible, and fully qualified disaster workforce.
Provide timely and appropriate disaster assistance through "survivor-centric" programs that support, streamline, and simplify the delivery of services for individuals and communities. DHS will strengthen capabilities and operationalize resource-sharing opportunities to achieve the greatest potential to change outcomes on the ground in catastrophic disasters.
Ensure effective emergency communications through the provision of technical communications capabilities enabling security, situational awareness, and operational decision making to manage emergencies under all circumstances.

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: Ensure resilience to disasters by strengthening disaster preparedness and response capabilities.

Statement:

Description:

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Goal 5.4: Enable Rapid Recovery

Statement:

Enable Rapid Recovery

Description:

DHS plays a key role in facilitating recovery following a disaster by supplementing communities’ recovery core capabilities; promoting infrastructure resilience guidelines and use of standards; and encouraging the development of continuity plans for communities, government entities, and private sector organizations. The devastating effects of recent disasters have highlighted the need to reform our national approach to long-term recovery. Communities devastated by a disaster, particularly large-scale events such as Hurricane Sandy, face complex and difficult challenges including restoring economic viability, rebuilding infrastructure and public services, and establishing resilience against future hazards.

We will pursue the following strategies to enable rapid recovery:

Ensure continuity and restoration of essential services and functions by: 1) supplementing communities’ recovery core capabilities; 2) encouraging the development of continuity plans for communities, government entities, and private-sector organizations; and 3) working to ensure continuity and rapid restoration of essential services.
Support and enable communities to rebuild stronger, smarter, and safer by following the National Disaster Recovery Framework and implementing programs that: 1) fund authorized federal disaster support activities; 2) support eligible reconstruction projects and disaster survivors; 3) provide subject matter experts to assist in planning and coordinating rebuilding efforts; and 4) focus on how best to restore, redevelop, and revitalize the health, social, economic, natural, and environmental fabric of the community and build a more resilient nation.

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