Emergency Management Emergency Management Disaster Recovery Operations Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) following a disaster?
- To document damage for federal disaster declaration requests (Correct answer)
- To assign blame for infrastructure failures
- To calculate insurance premiums for affected areas
- To determine criminal liability for the disaster
Correct answer: To document damage for federal disaster declaration requests
A PDA documents the scope and severity of damage to support requests for a federal disaster declaration from FEMA.
Question 2: Which federal program provides temporary housing assistance to individuals displaced by a presidentially declared disaster?
- Community Development Block Grant
- FEMA Individual Assistance Program (Correct answer)
- Small Business Administration capital loans
- HUD Section 8 emergency vouchers
Correct answer: FEMA Individual Assistance Program
FEMA's Individual Assistance Program provides temporary housing, repair grants, and other aid to disaster survivors under a presidential declaration.
Question 3: What does the term 'mission assignment' refer to in federal disaster recovery operations?
- A work order issued by FEMA directing another federal agency to perform a specific task (Correct answer)
- A directive from the Governor to activate the National Guard
- A congressional mandate to fund long-term recovery projects
- An insurance company's assessment of covered losses
Correct answer: A work order issued by FEMA directing another federal agency to perform a specific task
A mission assignment is a work order from FEMA that tasks another federal agency to provide resources or services during disaster response and recovery.
Question 4: During disaster recovery, what is the main function of a Long-Term Recovery Committee (LTRC)?
- Coordinating unmet needs among government, nonprofit, and private organizations (Correct answer)
- Enforcing updated building codes in the disaster area
- Managing federal grant applications for state agencies
- Conducting search and rescue operations in affected zones
Correct answer: Coordinating unmet needs among government, nonprofit, and private organizations
An LTRC brings together diverse stakeholders to identify and address unmet recovery needs that individual organizations cannot resolve alone.
Question 5: What is the purpose of FEMA's Public Assistance Category Z (Management Costs) introduced under the 2018 rule changes?
- To provide a fixed percentage for applicant and subrecipient management cost reimbursement (Correct answer)
- To fund private-sector contractors for debris removal
- To cover overtime pay exclusively for first responders
- To reimburse states for pre-disaster mitigation projects
Correct answer: To provide a fixed percentage for applicant and subrecipient management cost reimbursement
Category Z replaced the old sliding-scale model with a flat percentage to reimburse applicants for management and administrative costs related to their PA projects.
Question 6: Which concept describes building back stronger infrastructure after a disaster rather than simply restoring it to pre-disaster condition?
- Build Back Better (Correct answer)
- Continuity of Operations
- Mutual Aid Compact
- Hazard Mitigation Buyout
Correct answer: Build Back Better
Build Back Better refers to incorporating improved standards, materials, and designs during reconstruction to increase resilience against future disasters.
What is the primary purpose of a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) following a disaster?