STATEWIDE ACCESS PROGRAMS: A KEY COMPONENT TO ELIMINATING THE POST-DISASTER ACCESS CHALLENGE

Abstract

Although the United States has a well-defined incident management doctrine, it fails to fully integrate private sector response capabilities into national and local incident management efforts. The lessons learned from the 2017 Hurricane and Wildfire Season underscored the need to improve coordination with the private sector to better assist communities in responding to and recovering from emergencies. This thesis examines how the implementation of statewide access programs can better integrate private sector response capabilities into state and local disaster management efforts. Furthermore, it explores the purpose of an access program, the importance of access management during emergencies, and common post-disaster access-related challenges. Comparative analysis was used to examine U.S. incident management policies and practices regarding the concept of access management and the benefits associated with using access programs. Although use of an access program offers many benefits, key findings attribute the lack of widespread adoption to multiple factors, ranging from inconsistent policy guidance to inadequate prioritization of private sector access needs during emergencies. Recommendations include enacting state statutes, expanding the business emergency operations center network, developing interoperable access programs, and using federal grant programs to help government at all levels to more effectively integrate the private sector into incident management efforts.