Basic Plan
(FOR PUBLIC LAW 93-288, AS AMENDED)

I. INTRODUCTION

In 1988, Public Law 93-288 was amended by Public Law 100-707 and retitled as the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Public Law 93-288, as amended). The Stafford Act provides the authority for the Federal government to respond to disasters and emergencies in order to provide assistance to save lives and protect public health, safety, and property.
The Federal Response Plan (for Public Law 93-288, as amended), hereafter referred to as the Plan, is designed to address the consequences of any disaster or emergency situation in which there is a need for Federal response assistance under the authorities of the Stafford Act. It is applicable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes and volcanic eruptions; technological emergencies involving radiological or hazardous material releases, and other incidents requiring Federal assistance under the Act.

The Plan describes the basic mechanisms and structures by which the Federal government will mobilize resources and conduct activities to augment State and local response efforts. To facilitate the provision of Federal assistance, the Plan uses a functional approach to group the types of Federal assistance which a State is most likely to need under twelve Emergency Support Functions (ESFs). Each ESF is headed by a primary agency, which has been selected based on its authorities, resources and capabilities in the particular functional area. Other agencies have been designated as support agencies for one or more ESF based on their resources and capabilities to support the functional area. The twelve ESFs serve as the primary mechanism through which Federal response assistance will be provided to assist the State in meeting response requirements in an affected area. Federal assistance will be provided to the affected State under the overall coordination of the Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) appointed by the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on behalf of the President.

The Plan serves as the foundation for the further development of detailed headquarters and regional plans and procedures to implement Federal response activities in a timely and efficient manner to support State response activities.

A. Purpose

The Plan establishes an architecture for a systematic, coordinated, and effective Federal response. The purpose of the Plan is to:

FEDERAL RESPONSE PLAN

Establish fundamental assumptions and policies;
Establish a concept of operations that provides an interagency coordination mechanism to facilitate the immediate delivery of Federal response assistance;
Incorporate the coordination mechanisms and structures of other appropriate Federal plans and responsibilities into the overall response;
Assign specific functional responsibilities to appropriate Federal departments and agencies; and
Identify actions that participating Federal departments and agencies will take in the overall Federal response, in coordination with the affected State.


B. Scope

The Plan applies to all Federal government departments and agencies which are tasked to provide response assistance in a disaster or emergency situation. It describes Federal actions to be taken in providing immediate response assistance to one or more affected States.
Under the Plan, a State means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Response assistance includes those actions and activities which support State and local government efforts to save lives, protect public health and safety, and protect property. The identified actions and activities in the Plan, carried out under the ESFs, are based on existing Federal agency statutory authorities or on specific functional mission assignments made under the provisions of P.L. 93-288, as amended, and as identified in the ESF Annexes to the Plan.
The Plan does not specifically address recovery assistance, including the provision of temporary housing, loans and grants to individuals; business loans; and grants to local and State government entities provided under disaster assistance programs of FEMA and other agencies. However, in most instances, recovery activities will be conducted concurrently with response activities.
In some instances, a disaster or emergency may result in a situation which affects the national security of the United States. For those instances, appropriate national security authorities and procedures will be utilized to address the national security requirements of the situation.


C. Organization

BASIC PLAN

EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUNCTIONS (ESFs)

ESF #1 - TRANSPORTATION
ESF #2 - COMMUNICATIONS
ESF #3 - PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING
ESF #4 - FIREFIGHTING
ESF #5 - INFORMATION AND PLANNING
ESF #6 - MASS CARE
ESF #7 - RESOURCES SUPPORT
ESF #8 - HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES
ESF #9 - URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE
ESF #10 - HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
ESF #11 - FOOD
ESF #12 - ENERGY

Corps’ Involvement In The Federal Response Plan

During implementation of the FRP, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can be tasked by FEMA under ESF #3 to provide assistance with such mission as listed below:

Debris Removal
Temporary Housing (Trailers)
Temporary Roofing (Plastic Roofing)
Emergency Power
Technical Assistance
Public Infrastructure (Utilities, Transportation and Public Building)
Humanitarian Support (i.e., Ice, Water, Portable Toilets, Garbage and Showers/Washer/Dryers)
Urban Search and Rescue
Levee Rehabilitation