See this article, FEMA has a ‘blunt’ new message: It won’t be there for every future disaster. Changes like this are not made overnight, and getting the existing workforce on the same page will be a daunting task.
Some of what I read and interpret is summarized in these bullet points.
- There are radical changes that are going to be made in how FEMA operates
- They are looking to streamline their many automated systems and make them interoperable (Tip for FEMA: Beware the contractors!) That task has more threats and can be more of a money pit than almost any other task in government.
- FEMA is looking to physically do less with disaster recovery and have the states and local jurisdictions pick up the slack — the DHS IG is going to have fun with this! Be prepared to give back lots of federal recovery money when the IG doesn't interpret their regulations like you have.
- The problem FEMA will have is "past practice" in decades of disaster response and recovery. Citizens and then their federal elected representatives are not going to look favorably on FEMA saying, "We don't do that anymore. The states are now responsible. We just write the checks." It won't sell!
- Most states have some expertise — but not at the level that FEMA staff has.
- Overall, I see FEMA saying, "While the frequency and size of disasters are ramping up, we are going to be ramping down our agency's role." How they do that in the public sphere will be interesting to watch.
- I foresee lots of turmoil coming once FEMA begins to implement their new concepts for operating. It will be internal turmoil, and then more turmoil on the people and organizations being served — if you can call it that.