From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Resilience and Hurricane Sandy Description: Audio Interview by GAO staff with Christopher Currie, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Related GAO Work: GAO-15-515 Hurricane Sandy: An Investment Strategy Could Help the Federal Government Enhance National Resilience for Future Disasters Released: July 2015 [ Background Music ] [ Narrator: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's July 2015. The federal government appropriated about $50 billion for recovery from Hurricane Sandy in 2013. Part of this money was intended for disaster resilience and hazard mitigation. That is preparing for, recovering from, and adapting to future disasters. GAO and others have advocated for this approach to help limit the nation's fiscal exposure from such events. A team lead by Chris Currie, a director in GAO's Homeland Security and Justice team, recently reviewed federal efforts to strengthen disaster resilience after Hurricane Sandy. GAO's Jacques Arsenault sat down with Chris to talk about what they found. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] Can you talk a little bit about what we mean by the term disaster resilience and why it's important? [ Chris Currie: ] Sure. In the context of disasters, resilience refers to the ability to prepare, absorb and more quickly recover from any disaster whether it's natural or manmade. We know that the frequency and strength of natural disasters is increasing and the cost of rebuilding or recovering is also going up too. As a result, it's critical that we rebuild and make investments in infrastructure that can better withstand what we know is coming later. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] So then, what did federal agencies do to enhance disaster resilience after Hurricane Sandy? [ Chris Currie: ] So, after a catastrophic storm like Sandy, one of the biggest things the federal government does is provide funding to states and localities to rebuild and recover. Sandy caused extensive damage to a densely populated urban part of our country, and there was recognition in Congress and the Executive Branch that federal relief funding should be used to rebuild in a way that made the region more resilient to future disasters that we know are coming. There were multiple federal programs that took action to enhance resilience and provide funding. So, some examples of what they did and what they funded is elevating homes that were flooded to avoid future damage or building flood walls to protect coastal communities against future storms and also taking steps to protect, for example, the New York subway system from future flooding against storms that we, you know, know may come in the future. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] And were these special programs that were set up for Sandy or were these existing federal programs? [ Chris Currie: ] Some of these programs already existed such as some FEMA programs that have been around for decades to help states recover from traditional disasters. Some of the programs were created for this specific recovery in Sandy just because of the region it hit such as Federal Transit Administration, for example, developed a specific program to fund repairs because the New York/New Jersey area has such a large, extensive transit network and the damage was so significant. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] Now, I know your team talked to several state and local officials about their experiences. Can you talk about some of the challenges they described? [ Chris Currie: ] Sure. They identified a wide range of opportunities to enhance the nation's disaster resilience. But there were really some themes that we consistently heard. So, a couple of these. For example, state officials pointed to challenges in navigating multiple federal funding streams, programs, and regulations. They were often very confusing and had different time frames. Also, you know, in any disaster, building back in a more resilient way can take much longer than building back in the way it was before. And state officials told us that sometimes local leaders are much more concerned, and rightly so, getting the main street back to normal as quickly as possible. So, it's difficult to make resilience projects a priority when folks don't have power, for example. What we recommended that FEMA do is they assess all these challenge that the states identified and take some actions to address them. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] So, one thing that struck me in this report is the idea that people are often really willing to invest in resilience after a disaster hits. But it sounds like to be effective, you know, we really need to address resilience before hurricanes or forest fires or things like that. Can you talk about what an effective strategy for resilience would look like? [ Chris Currie: ] That is a very difficult challenge to address because most of the federal funding for disaster resilience comes after the disaster hits and only helps the regions where the disaster occurred. What we recommended is that the federal government develop an investment strategy to better determine the smartest ways to invest in resilience before the disaster hits. So, one part of that strategy is considering the right balance between investments made before a disaster versus those made after a disaster. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] And finally, what would you say is the bottom line of this report? [ Chris Currie: ] Disasters are always going to occur. And based on recent trends, natural disasters seem to be occurring more frequently. And they seem to be getting much worse. Most people agree that resilience is very important. However, the federal government spends billions of dollars each year on disaster assistance. And Mother Nature is really determining where and when we invest in resilience right now. So, we need to ensure that our federal relief programs are designed to encourage resilience, and we make investments where we get the most return. [ Background Music ] [ Narrator: ] To learn more, visit GAO.gov and be sure to tune in to the next episode of GAO's Watchdog Report for more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office.