| The frequency and severity of disasters are steadily increasing, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reporting that 103 disaster declarations were issued by the federal government in 2016 alone. Disturbingly, this trend accelerated in 2017 with FEMA responding to an unprecedented three catastrophic hurricanes within a single year. Effective coordination by managers with Homeland Security responsibilities is essential to providing essential life-saving and life-sustaining capabilities to victims of catastrophic disasters. Coordination among multiple levels of government and among public and private sector agencies is made difficult by the confusion, chaos, and urgency that accompany catastrophes. This phenomenological study was undertaken to create actionable guidelines that could improve coordination between emergency managers and Dual Status Commander (DSC) organizations during a catastrophic disaster response. Federal Coordinating Officers who experienced working with DSC organizations during a disaster response were interviewed to understand how coordination could be improved. Analysis of the data produced six themes that became the basis of this study's findings: (a) educate, (b) socialize, (c) exercise, (d) communicate, (e) deploy Liaison Officers, and (f) integrate planning. Implementing guidelines (a) through (c) before a catastrophe occurs and (d) through (f) afterward could improve coordination between emergency managers and DSC organizations within existing response plans and operating authorities. |
