Improve preparation, mitigation, response and recovery for all hazards through the development of interoperability standards that enable information sharing across the nation’s emergency management community to ultimately minimize the loss of life and property.

Recent events have highlighted the difficulties government agencies and private-sector organizations face in providing coordinated, comprehensive, timely, and effective disaster assistance information and relief to the public. Citizens, businesses, and governments alike spend significant amounts of time collecting appropriate disaster management information. In the end, the information and services provided are often duplicative, largely due to the fact that Agency processes have not been re-invented to take advantage of information technology advances.

The Disaster Management initiative will use cutting-edge information technology to improve the delivery of disaster assistance information and services by creating a single Internet-based portal to serve the public’s requirement for assistance, and the government’s requirement to provide disaster information and services. The public side of the portal will be a single location where the public and private businesses can easily access disaster information and services provided by government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

The government side of the portal will provide a layered, secure environment that provides access to disaster information made available from government and non-governmental organizations, and the means to securely exchange sensitive information relating to disaster preparedness, response, mitigation and recovery. Government emergency managers will be able to use the portal to monitor major disaster and national security events, coordinate Federal, State, and private organization responses, and collaborate on damage assessments and summaries.

The Disaster Management initiative will make disaster assistance information easier to find, cut the “red tape” for citizens to apply for disaster assistance, and eliminate redundant agency processes. Disaster services providers will save considerable resources and, potentially, lives. The accelerated provision of information and services to disaster victims will expedite recovery, reduce government spending, speed rebuilding, and restore public confidence.