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September 15, 2005
It takes a network
There has been some talk recently about creating a new agency to oversee the Katrina recovery process. Some (such as Senator Kennedy) are calling for a New Orleans and Gulf Coast Redevelopment Authority, modeled after the Tennessee Valley Authority. Senator Ken Salazar calls for an effort similar to the Marshall Plan, including "the creation of a small and effective Cabinet member-chaired task force--that the President would appoint--with State and local participation, and that task force would have a singular focus on this challenge. The task force should develop a plan for reconstruction, identify the costs associated with that plan, and oversee its successful implementation." Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has called for a revamping of the process and an Assessment Working Group.
I think Speaker Gingrich and Senator Salazar are on the right track -- it takes a network, not a bureaucracy.
But a task force or a working group are not enough -- there needs to be an ongoing coordination point and an agency on the ground that can implement and make sure everyone is pulling in the right direction. For this reason, I would support the creation of a Federal Emergency Recovery Agency (FERA).
But the design of the agency needs to be done right. It should coordinate all of the existing recovery (as opposed to relief) programs -- such as SBA's disaster loans, DOL worker displacement rapid response activities, EDA's grants and loans etc.
As Business Week puts it in San Fran's Lessons for New Orleans:
FEMA's programs aren't intended to help families recoup their full losses or meet permanent housing needs. It does administer The National Flood Insurance Program through contractors, but only homeowners who have purchased policies in advance are eligible.
For long-term housing assistance, individuals must look to other agencies. The SBA offers disaster assistance loans to homeowners with decent credit of up to about $200,000. HUD programs such as the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the Community Development Block Grant Program, which are administered at a state and local level, focus on affordable housing.
It's a convoluted brew of programs with even more complex application requirements and procedures, and even those who successfully navigate the process will likely find themselves wanting.
Rebuilding is primarily a local function involving both the public and private sectors. The role of Federal government is to provide support to those local efforts. FEMA's mandate is risk reductions and short-term disaster relief. We need a mechanism for long-term recovery assistance. To use the medical analogy, FEMA's role is that of the emergency room -- immediate stabilization; FERA's role is that of the hospital and rehabilitation centers -- long-term recovery.
FERA needs to be a small, flexible agency to coordination of existing governmental programs. It should insure that all relevant programs and agencies are engaged. It should also insure that Federal funds are spend on top priorities and not wasteful or duplicative. And it should serve as the liaison between Federal programs and state and local activities.
Rebuilding and long-term recovery are not new activities for the Federal government. FERA should build upon experience of both past disaster recovery efforts and efforts in coordinating Federal assistance in economic dislocation, i.e. plant closings and base closings.
The rebuilding of the Gulf Coast will take some time. Passing that task over to a FERA would free up FEMA to concentrate on its primary mission of risk reduction and immediate relief. It would also allow FEMA to concentrate on the task of rebuilding the agency -- a task that recent events have shown is desperately needed.
Posted by Ken Jarboe at September 15, 2005 9:18 AM
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Comments
Why we need a FERA for all types of reconstruction efforts: Poor Planning and Corruption Hobble the Rebuilding of Iraq - New York Times. Yes, I know the story deal with Iraq. But if we can plan for reconstruction of Iraq, why should we believe that we can plan for the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast?
See FEMA, Slow to the Rescue, Now Stumbles in Aid Effort - New York Times
Posted by: Ken Jarboe at September 17, 2005 12:08 PM