ON Jan. 24, 2025, the President established the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council through Executive Order 14180, “Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” This Council is tasked with evaluating FEMA’s operational effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement in disaster response and recovery efforts.
The FEMA Review Council requests information from the public and other interested stakeholders to help identify potential programmatic and organizational improvements to FEMA, informed by experiences with FEMA in disasters. Potential questions for considerations are:
• Describe your experience with FEMA’s response to your request for assistance. Was FEMA’s response timely and efficient to assist in your recovery?
• Describe your overall experience with FEMA. Was your interaction with FEMA positive or negative? Please fully explain your experience.
• By what means did you apply for benefits — was it online, in person, or over the phone? Did you encounter any difficulties?
• Were local or state authorities or private groups able to provide assistance in a more timely or efficient way than FEMA?
Please fully describe your experience.
• What recommendations would you like the Council to make?
All responses must be submitted by May 15, 2025. The FEMA Review Council invites submission of the requested information through one of the following methods:
• Online. Federal Register: Request for Public Input on Experiences with FEMA Disaster Responses for online submissions.
• Email FEMAreviewcouncil@hq.dhs.gov (Subject: Docket No. DHS-2025-0013)
• Mail Patrick Powers, Designated Federal Officer, FEMA Review Council, DHS, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, DC 20032
Submission guidelines
• Responses must be in English and no longer than five pages.
• Do not submit applications, proposals, résumés, or confidential business information.
• All comments will be publicly available at www.regulations.gov/.
• Please do not include anything in your comment submission that you do not wish to share with the public.
For additional inquiries contact, Patrick Powers, designated federal officer, FEMA Review Council at (202) 891-2283 or FEMAreviewcouncil@hq.dhs.gov/.
