Assignment task:
In this role-play, you will simulate the political realities of a Department of Homeland Security or FEMA call for projects. You will be able to explore this simulation from the perspective of a wide variety of projects from different parts of the country.
Prepare: Prior to beginning work on this discussion, please:
Read
o Who Gets What and Why: An Analysis of State Level Funding in the Department of Homeland Security
o Healthy, Resilient, and Sustainable Communities After Disasters: Strategies, Opportunities, and Planning for Recovery
- Introduction through Timing of Assistance
- Recommendations
- Appendix B
- Strengthen Preparedness and ResilienceLinks to an external site.
- DHS Announces Funding Opportunity for Fiscal Year 2019 Preparedness GrantsLinks to an external site.
- National Preparedness: FEMA Has Taken Steps to Strengthen Grant Management, but Challenges Remain in Assessing Capabilities
Reflect: Some projects will deal with recovery from major events, some will deal with mitigation from future events, and others will deal with preparedness issues. The issue comes down to risk management, decision-making, political pressures, and resource allocation. Some projects will be very specific, while others will be less clear and difficult to define.
Write Your Initial Post: In the first part of the discussion, you will assume the role of a state-level emergency planner who is asking for federal funding to address a technological, terrorist, or natural hazard.
- The assumption is that your state has no funding to address this hazard, but the Department of Homeland Security has requested states submit projects for review (see DHS Announces Funding Opportunity for Fiscal Year 2019 Preparedness Grants).
- You must identify three projects out of all the projects presented that you must prioritize for funding along with providing your reasoning for funding or rejecting the projects.
- Evaluate your selected hazard to help decision-makers understand the hazard and determine the importance of funding your initiative.
- Outline the hazard and your proposal.
- Your initial post should be at least 300 words.
Include at least two scholarly, peer-reviewed, or other credible resources.
o The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types.
o In-text citations and references should be formatted according to APA 7th ed. standards (see Introduction to APALinks to an external site. for more information).
Guided Response: In your responses, you will look at the issues from the other side and assume the role of a senior executive in the Department of Homeland Security.
By Day 3, write your initial post identifying the top three projects for funding. You may fund the project outright, return the project for additional information and possible funding next year, or return the project as unfunded.
o You are responsible for allocating funding for readiness initiatives. However, you only have funds to fulfill about half of all the state initiatives submitted.
For each project, explain the reasoning for your decision. These are some things to consider as you prepare your responses:
o As you review a classmate's proposal, what additional questions do you have?
o What will you use for criteria to evaluate the projects?
o How do you compare different types of hazards?
o Do you fully fund some projects and not others? Do you fund all, but just partially?
o Do you ask for a resubmission for next year?
Do you have a list of unfunded projects for potential future funding?