Achieving community preparedness post-Katrina

Improving disaster response capabilities within this country requires better coordination not only within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but also across the federal government, within state and local governments, and within the private and nonprofit sectors. According to more than 150 state and local stakeholders surveyed in April 2009 and again in April 2010, this amount of coordination requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve its capacity to fully support state, local, and tribal stakeholders; to improve its internal business practices to better implement federal policies and guidance; and to find a way to use thematic goals and transition forums to create a better understanding of prevention, protection, and coordination in every region, taking differences between states and major metropolitan areas into account