FEMA: DRAFT Operations Manual

[NaepcA1]

Dear FEMA Partner:

Attached for your review and comment is FEMA’s draft Preliminary Damage Assessment for Individual Assistance Operations Manual (9327.2-PR). The DRAFT PDA Manual is also available online at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket ID FEMA-2011-0022.

Additionally, attached is the Federal Register Notice published today announcing the DRAFT Manual and soliciting comment.
All comments must be received by November 14, 2011. All comments must be identified by Docket ID FEMA-2011-0022 and may be submitted by one of the following methods:
(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Please note that this proposed manual is not a rulemaking and the Federal Rulemaking Portal is being utilized only as a mechanism for receiving comments.
(2) Mail: Legislation, Regulations, & Policy Division, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Room 835, 500 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20472-3100.

The Preliminary Damage Assessment for Individual Assistance Operations Manual (PDA Manual) was developed to create uniform procedures for performing Individual Assistance (IA) Preliminary Damage Assessments (PDAs) nationwide in response to an impacted State’s request. The primary purpose for conducting IA PDAs is to identify the impact, type, and extent of disaster damages and to determine the impact on individuals and communities while identifying the resources needed for the community to recover.

The DRAFT PDA Manual would supersede FEMA Manual 9327.1 PR, Preliminary Damage Assessment for Individual Assistance Operations Manual, dated April 2005. FEMA convened a working group to review and update the 2005 manual. The DRAFT PDA Manual, therefore, was prepared and reviewed by FEMA regional staff, in collaboration with State and local government representatives, including Tribes, with extensive field experience in performing PDAs. It incorporates procedures developed and used by individual FEMA regional offices in the course of conducting PDAs throughout the United States in a variety of disasters over several years. It reflects FEMA’s extensive experience working with State and local governments. The DRAFT PDA Manual is intended to set the standard for defining and recording levels of damage; as well as to establish uniformity in the composition of teams and the means by which data is collected.

We look forward to your comments. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact FEMA’s Intergovernmental Affairs Division by phone at 202-646-3444 or by email at FEMA-IGA@dhs.gov. Reminder, specific comments are directed to http://www.regulations.gov referencing Docket ID FEMA-2011-0022.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards