Disaster Assistance High-Risk Series: State and Local Response Capabilities

What GAO Found

All levels of government have a role in preparing for and responding to disasters, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) leading the federal response. It has been nearly 20 years since the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 required actions-such as the development of a national preparedness system-to address shortcomings in the nation's disaster response system. Federal, state, and local governments, however, continue to face challenges preparing for and responding to large-scale disasters. Recent disasters, such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, the Los Angeles wildfires in early 2025, and the July 2025 flooding in Texas, demonstrate the need for government-wide action to deliver assistance effectively.

The federal government provides extensive support to state and local governments for disaster preparedness and response. For example, FEMA provides preparedness grants, training, and technical support to strengthen state and local emergency management capabilities. FEMA and other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency, also supplement state and local efforts during disaster response (see figure).

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Debris Removal Efforts After 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires

GAO analyzed selected states' assessments of their disaster response capabilities and found that capability levels varied widely. Federal, state, and local officials GAO interviewed also emphasized the variation in capabilities at the state and local level-including challenges for rural or less resourced jurisdictions, even if they are within a well-resourced state.

GAO has previously reported on challenges with FEMA and other federal agencies' disaster assistance and added Improving the Delivery of Disaster Assistance to GAO's High-Risk list in February 2025 to highlight the recommendations GAO has made to improve federal disaster efforts.

Congress and the President have signaled an interest in reforms to FEMA. For example, the President signed Executive Orders in January and March 2025, respectively, establishing a FEMA Review Council to recommend improvements to FEMA and requiring review and revision of response and preparedness policies. Broader reform of FEMA's mission, structure, or operations may address long-standing challenges with federal disaster efforts. Given the current levels of federal support and wide variation in state and local response capabilities, officials at the federal and state levels provided the following considerations for policymakers for communicating and implementing any such changes:

• Clear communication and guidance. States raised concerns about the uncertainty of the future of FEMA's role. For example, state officials said it is challenging to plan in the absence of clear, consistent, and accurate guidance and emphasized the importance of consistent messaging about any changes, including technical assistance and training. GAO's work following Hurricane Katrina also emphasized the importance of communicating clear roles and responsibilities.
• Time to prepare. Given that state and local governments rely on significant federal disaster support, federal and state officials emphasized the need for adequate time for these entities to prepare for any changes in disaster response roles.
• Catastrophic or widespread disasters. Federal officials underscored that there will always be catastrophic disasters for which even the most well-equipped states would require some level of federal financial or other support.
• Federal-level coordination. FEMA also plays a vital role as the coordinating agency for the federal response to disasters. For example, FEMA has the statutory authority to assign other federal agencies to perform disaster response tasks that those agencies might not otherwise have authority to perform.

Why GAO Did This Study

GAO was asked to review long-standing challenges and emerging issues in federal response efforts for recent disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, and the July 2025 Texas floods. In September 2025, GAO issued the first report in a series on disaster response, focusing on the federal response workforce. This second report in the series provides information on federal disaster preparedness and response assistance provided before and during recent disasters, variation in state and local response capabilities, and considerations for potential changes to disaster response roles.

GAO analyzed information from interviews conducted with federal agencies involved in disaster response and state and local governments impacted by disasters in recent years. Additionally, GAO analyzed preparedness assessments for the 10 states that received major disaster declarations for these recent disasters. To provide information on preparedness and response assistance, we summarized data on FEMA's obligations for these disasters and amounts awarded through selected FEMA preparedness grants.

For more information, contact Chris Currie at [email protected].