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October 10, 2008, 10:00 AM ET
What Ails America's Disaster-Response System?
What’s wrong with the U.S. disaster-response system? And why have the U.S. government and nonprofit groups failed to reassure the public and Congress that they can effectively respond to a large-scale disaster?
Writing on his blog for Harvard University’s Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Tony Pipa blames episodic fund raising, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s limited ability to coordinate charities, and confusion about government’s role after a disaster.
For example, the government clearly sees itself as responsible for rebuilding infrastructure after a natural disaster. But “people issues,” says Mr. Pipa, “seem to get revisited every time.”
And they can often become politicized, he says. Mississippi sustained half as much damage after Hurricane Katrina as Louisiana, but Congress required that they share almost equally federal funds for long-term recovery.
Mr. Pipa also criticizes the episodic nature of fund raising for disasters, which leaves nonprofit groups and governments with too-few resources. Local nonprofit groups, meanwhile, have very little ability to raise money outside of disaster-affected areas. So large groups, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, wind up receiving the most money, even though they are often slower to arrive after a disaster than local organizations.
Coordinating nonprofit groups is another big challenge, says Mr. Pipa. The Federal Emergency Management Agency still lacks the ability to do so, even though it assumed that responsibility after squabbling with the Red Cross after Katrina.
Many people seem to believe that improving the disaster-response system means strengthening existing agencies and organizations such as FEMA and the Red Cross. Mr. Pipa isn’t so sure.
“We need to develop an approach that is decentralized and supple enough to integrate the strengths of hundreds of nonprofit groups if necessary,” he writes.
What do you think ails the U.S. disaster-response system? What lessons do overseas relief efforts offer?
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