Audit of adequacy of disaster relief assistance plans : worldwide

Missions worldwide. Audit is based on review of Missions" plans and other documents and interviews with officials of A.I.D."s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). A.I.D. guidelines pertaining to the preparation and content of disaster relief plans, particuarly in controlling and accounting for disaster assistance, need to be improved. In addition, the plans submitted by the A.I.D. overseas Missions to the Inspector General"s office generally were not in compliance with existing Agency planning requirements. This happened in part because the guidelines for preparation of disaster relief plans are directive in nature rather than prescriptive. None of the 59 A.I.D. Missions responding to the Inspector General"s inquiry were able to provide a plan consistent with Agency regulations. Nineteen A.I.D. Missions did not have a plan, 5 were in the process of preparing a plan, and the 35 plans that were provided to the Inspector General did not fully comply with Agency planning requirements. In our view, many of these 35 plans would have little utility in the administration of U.S. disaster assistance. Nine of the Mission"s did not respond to the Inspector General"s inquiry. We recommend that (1) the Agency"s Operating Bureaus ensure that Missions submit adequate disaster relief plans to OFDA for review and approval; (2) OFDA assist the A.I.D. field offices to develop disaster relief plans; and (3) OFDA improve A.I.D. Handbook 8 procedures, particularly in the areas of accountability and control. (Author abstract, modified)