Mass Evacuee Support

FEMA Mass Care and Emergency Assistance may support disaster-affected and host-state governments by providing life-sustaining services and resources to disaster survivors/evacuees and their household pets and service animals. Mass Care and Emergency Assistance provides support in the form of technical assistance, coordination, communication, and identified resources.

Authorities

Sections 402, 403, and 502 of Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Public Law 93-288, as codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 5170a, 5170b, and 5192.

Responsibilities

Pre-Incident

• Providing technical assistance for the development of multi-agency mass evacuee support templates; state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government plans; training materials; and other tools to strengthen and enhance the nation’s capacity to support government-assisted transportation for evacuees.
• Analyzing and incorporating best practices and lessons learned into preparedness activities for evacuee support.
• Developing agreements to provide resources, programs, and services for the support of mass evacuees.
• Coordinating with government agencies, SLTTs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the private sector to develop integrated processes and mechanisms to augment national, regional, and SLTT capabilities for mass evacuee support.
• Supporting implementation of Host State Agreements (a state agrees to provide evacuation and/or sheltering support to individuals from the impacted state).
• Providing training; facilitating exercises; and integrating support to mass evacuees for other federal agencies, SLTTs, and NGO partners.
• Providing subject matter expertise to internal partners, including FEMA’s Response, Recovery, Logistics Management, and National Preparedness Directorates; Public Assistance Division; Office of Disability Integration and Coordination; and National Processing Service Center.

Response and Recovery

• Coordinate with other federal agencies, declared and host SLTTs, FEMA’s Logistics Management Directorate, NGOs, and other partners to monitor, analyze, validate the need for, and provide support to SLTTs for human and material resources, programs, and services.
• Provide subject matter expertise and technical assistance in FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center (NRCC), Regional Response Coordination Center (RRCC), Joint Field Offices (JFO), initial operating facility (IOF), STT emergency operations center (EOC), and other field offices.
• Provide resources, including equipment, material, supplies, facilities, and personnel, to support mass evacuees through mission assignments, contracts, and other mechanisms.
• Identify resource requirements, shortfalls, and limiting factors, and provide information to FEMA components, other federal agencies, SLTTs, NGOs, and private sector partners.

Triggers for Implementation

• Presidential disaster declarations (both emergency and major disaster) that include Public Assistance emergency protective measures relevant to mass evacuation issues.

Tools and Resources

• The Commonly Used Shelter Items and Sheltering Listing (CUSI-SL) Catalog, includes durable medical equipment items, consumable medical supplies (CMS) items, hygiene kits, and other relevant information resources, available on the National Mass Care Strategy website.
• FEMA Resource Typing Library Tool
• Individual Assistance Program and Policy Guide (IAPPG), Version 1.1
• Public Assistance Policy and Program Guide, Version 4