Mitigating the Effects of Natural Disasters

DOE is exploring ways to forge partnerships at the federal level to leverage services to low-income families. In 2000, DOE joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on a Lead Paint Task Force. In February of that same year, the Weatherization Program also forged strategic partnerships with two other DOE programs: Rebuild America and ENERGY STAR^®.

DOE has also worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to streamline services to low-income clients. FEMA interacts with low-income homeowners in disaster mitigation. For example, FEMA encourages combustion equipment to be secured in homes that lie in a flood plain; DOE wants the equipment to be as efficient as possible.

The two agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 1999 to explore ways to use the network of weatherization service providers in FEMA's preparedness campaign. Since then, the two federal agencies have held a series of workshops with service providers. In August 2000, DOE published its comprehensive list of disaster mitigation measures (with PATH-the Partnership for Advanced Technologies in Housing) titled, Hazard Identification and Mitigation Workshop (245 pp.).