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1 1 (January 10, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govekcy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service nforming the legislitive debate since 1914 January 10, 2023 Understanding Linked Climate and Weather Hazards and the Challenges to Federal Emergency Management The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that in 2022, the United States experienced 15 separate weather-related disasters that caused at least one billion dollars in damages-the eighth consecutive year to have 10 or more such events. The impacts of such incidents are widespread: since 2011, many U.S. counties have experienced at least one federally declared disaster following a weather-related event. Such trends present the 118th Congress with questions regarding the appropriate role of the federal government in disaster management. Recent disasters have strained affected state, local, tribal, and territorial governments (SLTTs) and revealed the limits of federal authorities to assist with emergency management activities including: * disaster response (urgent efforts to save lives and protect property and the environment); * recovery (restoring essential services and facilities); and * mitigation (reducing long-term risks to life, property, and the environment). A warming climate, the increasing cost and complexity of some disasters, and the risk of linked hazards (e.g., post- wildfire flooding and debris flows like mudslides) have raised concerns regarding the generally reactive nature of federal disaster assistance authorities and how, if at all, they should adapt. Clmate and Weather Hazards Hazardous weather and climate events include severe storms, tropical cyclones, drought, wildfires, and extreme heat or cold. These hazards-and their effects-may occur on a variety of time scales. Some strike suddenly (rapid- onset) and conclude quickly, like tornadoes. Others, like wildfires, develop rapidly and may last for days, weeks, or months. Still others, like drought, develop slowly (slow- onset) and may persist for months to years, becoming chronic. Similarly, some hazards may cause damage slowly without distinct temporal boundaries (e.g., erosion). Cascading, linked, or compound hazards-events that may overlap or occur consecutively-amplify the risk of adverse impacts to humans and natural resources. For example, drought conditions can amplify wildfire risk, and a wildfire can exacerbate subsequent flooding and debris flow risk. The federal government faces challenges in managing the risk and effects of such linked hazards. Scientific understanding of these hazards can inform disaster assistance. Congress furnished a number of federal agencies with responsibilities for understanding these hazards, including hazard monitoring, modeling, forecasting and issuing alerts, and supporting research. Scientific advancements across those areas have improved disaster assistance, but many gaps still exist. For instance, scientists remain uncertain about how linked hazards may change in the future. Increasing Disaster Risk Disaster risk is often expressed as a function of the frequency, duration, and intensity of hazards (e.g., extreme rainfall) along with an individual or community's exposure (e.g., development along coastal areas) and vulnerability (e.g., low socioeconomic status or inadequate building standards). For example, disaster risk increases as more people settle near fire-prone forests or floodplains. Concurrent or cascading hazards can further intensify the effects and increase the resultant costs of disasters. U.S. Emergency Management The United States generally approaches emergency management from the bottom up. Disaster response and recovery begins at the local level, with affected SLTTs directly managing incidents in their own jurisdictions. The President and other federal agencies generally provide assistance only after a discrete incident, following a request by a state, territorial, or tribal executive indicating that the existing resources are insufficient to address the situation. These procedures do not easily align with slow-onset, chronic, or linked disasters that may lack a clear beginning and end. The effects of such disasters may be gradual or appear to be unrelated (e.g., homes lost to coastal erosion, or damages caused by debris flows months after initial wildfires). For this reason, the federal government may determine that federal assistance is unnecessary, resulting in less assistance for affected communities. Coordinating Federal Agencies and Assistance Depending on the type and severity of a disaster, federal assistance may be available through a range of agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Small Business Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the lead agency for drought), and the U.S. Forest Service (a lead agency for wildfire). The Department of Homeland Security has pre-identified agency and nonfederal roles in disaster assistance and has documented them in guidance, including the National Response Framework and the National Disaster Recovery Framework.

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