...Agency (FEMA). Among other agencies, FEMA absorbed the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration (GSA), and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration from HUD.
Evolving further, as a result of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, in March 2003 FEMA — along with 22 other agencies, programs, and offices —became the Department of Homeland Security. Under the umbrella of DHS agencies can now provide a higher degree of coordinated national security for emergencies and disasters, both natural and man-made.
As society and disasters change, the federal government has been able to adapt. From the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 through the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013, DHS/FEMA has managed to expand funding efforts for all parties — including individuals, small businesses, nonprofits, and state and local governments. It is this very adaptability that has allowed meaningful and critical responses to the nation’s worst natural disasters over the past 10 years. In addition to DHS/FEMA, organizations like HUD, USDA, FTA, FHWA, USACE and the NRCS play critical roles in the disaster preparation, response and recovery processes.
The IHP is composed of two different types of assistance: Housing Assistance (HA) and Other Needs Assistance (ONA). The IHP’s governing philosophy is to be simple, fast, equitable and consistent. The most commonly used forms of FEMA’s IHP HA and ONA include home repair, rental assistance and replacement of essential personal property. (Source: FEMA)
SBA funds cover critical needs and necessary expenses to help people get back on their feet after a disaster, but are not designed to cover longer-term unmet needs. The SBA plays a major role...