Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
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Support to specialized and medical shelters and nonconventional shelter
management
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Coordination of donated goods and services
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Coordination of voluntary agency (VOLAG) assistance
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Housing
includes options such as rental assistance, repair, loan assistance,
replacement, factory-built housing, semipermanent and permanent construc-
tion, referrals, identification and provision of accessible housing, and access
to other sources of housing assistance.
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Human Services
includes implementation of disaster assistance programs to
help disaster victims recover nonhousing losses, replace destroyed personal
property, and assistance in obtaining disaster loans, food stamps, crisis coun-
seling, disaster unemployment, disaster legal services, and support and ser-
vices for those with functional needs.
These services are complex and, even during a relatively small-scale event, local
communities may find it difficult to provide all services at the level required. The
purposes of this chapter include
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To provide an overview of the federal support structure for ESF-6 services.
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To introduce the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA)
“Guidance on Planning for Integration of Functional Needs Support Services
in General Population Shelters” (hereinafter referred to as the FNSS Guidance),
released in late 2010.
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To provide a conceptual framework to support local implementation of com-
prehensive ESF-6 services.
The FNSS Guidance contains significant changes to traditional methods of
implementing shelter plans. Based on post-Hurricane Katrina legal actions, the
Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA), and other regula-
tions and legal findings, the FNSS Guidance specifies that the distinction between
General Population Shelters and Special Needs Shelters is no longer appropriate. In
essence, all shelters must be able to accommodate the general population and those
with functional needs. Medical shelters or alternate care sites will accommodate
those who require acute medical care in the event that hospitals cannot accommo-
date all patients. These concepts are discussed in depth later in this chapter.
Federal Support Structure for ESF-6 Functions
As set forth in the NRF ESF-6 Annex,
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federal agencies are assigned and equipped
to support various mass care functions when local and state resources are exhausted.
In addition to resources, the federal response assets and organization in the ESF-6
Annex provide a model for assimilating local and state plans and resources to sup-
port the complex functions required under ESF-6.
