Federal disaster relief needs to be faster

Federal disaster relief legislation is dangerously out of date and reform is needed to achieve rapid relief, a U.S. researcher said.

New York University professor Mitchell Moss said two years after Hurricane Katrina and six years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the federal government still lacks the legal authority to provide rapid financial assistance to residents, small businesses and municipal governments following a major disaster.

Moss faults the current Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for:

– Not recognizing 21st century threats such as chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological attacks or accidents as legal grounds for a major disaster declaration.

– Failing to establish a difference between the scale of rural and urban disaster, the same level of aid for a blizzard in a rural community is the same as for a major earthquake in a metropolis.

Following a catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, Moss recommends Congress waive proof of insurance requirements and provide immediate assistance to those in need, which can later be reimbursed to the government when insurance payments are made.

The findings are published in the Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.