A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says many of the U.S. Coast Guard’s field units that lead emergency response efforts such as rescuing persons in distress or marine pollution incidents, could themselves become victims of disasters.
GAO’s review found that Coast Guard’s disaster preparedness policies do not identify a clear requirement for field units to maintain emergency food and water for their personnel. Coast Guard’s Emergency Management Manual provides guidance stating that field units should be prepared to respond to a natural disaster with organic resources for up to three days without receiving outside support. However, the guidance does not explicitly require these units to maintain emergency food and water. As a result, many of the Coast Guard field units GAO surveyed (20 of 32) reported they did not maintain these supplies.
Senior officials from the Office of Emergency Management and Disaster Response told GAO that the language in the Emergency Management Manual about “organic resources” implies that these units should maintain emergency food and water. One of these officials added that food and water are key elements of disaster preparedness, and that field units should interpret the policy to mean that these supplies are required for disaster events. However, none of the area, district, or sector officials GAO met with believed that Coast Guard policy required field units to maintain emergency food and water. Furthermore, officials from all districts and the nine sectors GAO interviewed stated that they lack specific procedures to ensure that their subunits have adequate amounts of these supplies. GAO determined that unclear guidance has resulted in confusion among personnel at several levels of Coast Guard field operations.
Given the confusion and challenges related to obtaining and maintaining emergency food and water, headquarters officials agreed that the Coast Guard’s emergency management policy could more clearly identify what field units are required to do. Coast Guard officials stated that requiring all field units to maintain a minimum amount of emergency food and water at all times might not be sensible given the variety of factors that influence what each unit might need to maintain. Instead, headquarters officials said they are considering an update to agency policy to include a general requirement for all field units to maintain the amount of emergency food and water that addresses their risks. Headquarters officials also recognized that all relevant manuals should reflect the updated emergency food and water policy and cross-reference each other to better ensure clarity. GAO welcomed the initiative but said it had not yet been implemented.
During the course of the review, field officials also identified challenges with sufficient or consistent funding, adequate staffing, and sufficient storage space. Officials from three of nine districts and eight of the nine sectors surveyed stated that their unit or their subunits did not have enough or consistent unit funds to purchase emergency food or water. In addition, almost half of the surveyed subunits (15 of 32) indicated that they did not have enough or consistent unit funds to purchase these supplies.
Coast Guard disaster preparedness efforts include various field unit plans and risk assessments, but GAO found that the agency has not comprehensively assessed and documented field units’ emergency food and water needs. Coast Guard policy does not require field units to assess and document these needs. Instead, unit commands are expected to assess and address risks and needs, as they deem appropriate, due to varying levels and types of disasters. For example, officials from two West Coast sectors said that their unit and their subunits may need to stockpile emergency supplies in advance of a no-notice disaster such as an earthquake because supplies could be very difficult to obtain after an event. In contrast, officials from an East Coast sector said its vulnerable subunits would typically have sufficient advance notice to prepare or evacuate, if faced with an event such as a major hurricane.
Almost two-thirds of the Coast Guard field units GAO surveyed said that their unit discussed emergency food and water needs, but these needs were generally not documented. Coast Guard headquarters officials agreed that assessing and documenting field unit emergency food and water needs is important to improve disaster preparedness. This is especially important at units more likely to experience no- or short-notice events (e.g., earthquakes, tornados), or at units in remote areas without ready access to food and water through the local economy.
To limit the burden on subunits specifically, Coast Guard headquarters officials told GAO that they are examining how sector staff could be better leveraged to assist their subunits with assessments. Headquarters officials also said they are considering an update to agency policy to include a general requirement for all field units to assess their risks to determine their emergency food and water needs, but GAO found this has not yet been implemented.
To address the shortcomings identified in its review, GAO has made three recommendations to the Coast Guard:
- Ensure that agency disaster preparedness policies are updated to clearly identify requirements about maintaining emergency food and water at field units.
- Ensure that the Financial Resource Management Manual and its supporting procedures manual are updated to clarify policies and procedures for procuring emergency food and water.
- Ensure that field units assess and document their emergency food and water needs in accordance with updated agency disaster preparedness policies.
The Department of Homeland Security agreed with each recommendation and said the Coast Guard would address all of them by July 31, 2024.
