More than 40 people participated in the 2-day virtual workshop that covered a variety of topics including the interagency Recovery Support Function (RSF) process as coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), NOAA’s role as an RSF support agency, and specific line office recovery resources and capabilities. The agenda was designed to provide a holistic view of disaster recovery, from a basic introduction for staff new to recovery support operations to detailed discussions on how NOAA can improve agency recovery responses.

Office of Response & Restoration (OR&R) Director Scott Lundgren, Office for Coastal Management Director Jeff Payne, and National Ocean Service Senior Advisor for Coastal Inundation and Resilience Mark Osler provided leadership perspective on the connections between disaster recovery, broader NOAA efforts to support coastal resilience, and Biden Administration priorities to address equity and climate considerations. Debbie Payton, former OR&R Emergency Response Division Chief and current Natural and Cultural Resources RSF Field Coordinator for Department of the Interior (DOI) was a keynote speaker on Day 2 of the workshop. RSF National Coordinators from DOI, FEMA, and the Economic Development Administration provided video presentations to workshop attendees about the work of the RSFs and collaboration with NOAA.

All divisions within NOAA’s Office of Response and Restoration participated in the workshop. 

For further information, contact William.Whitmore@noaa.gov.