§824 — Title 6 Domestic Security | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary must add an extra plan (an annex) to each Federal Interagency Operational Plan that explains how to protect the health, safety, and basic needs of civilians after a catastrophic incident. The annex must cover providing for basic needs, working with State, local, Tribal, and private relief partners, encouraging people and communities to prepare and not rely only on the government, and building international partnerships for relief. The Secretary must do this with the Administrator and the federal partners listed in section 822(b). The annex must describe what the Federal Government will do to meet basic needs; how it will coordinate with non‑federal groups (State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments; State disaster agencies; State National Guards; law enforcement and first responders; and nonprofit relief groups); actions to boost individual readiness (public alerts, more supplies of critical goods, and public information campaigns); steps to work with allies; how to operate if critical infrastructure is destroyed or offline; and which federal authorities to use. In making the plan, officials must assume many infrastructure layers may be down, that transportation, communications, energy, health, and water systems could be hit, that local governments may be largely inoperable, that the disaster may exceed response abilities under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and other laws, and that the U.S. military may be tied up in armed or cyber conflict or otherwise unable to provide major help.

Title 6, §824

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator and the Federal partners listed in section 822(b) of this title, shall supplement each Federal Interagency Operational Plan to include an annex containing a strategy to ensure the health, safety, and general welfare of the civilian population affected by catastrophic incidents by—

(1)providing for the basic needs of the civilian population of the United States that is impacted by catastrophic incidents in the United States;

(2)coordinating response efforts with State, local, and Indian Tribal governments, the private sector, and nonprofit relief organizations;

(3)promoting personal and local readiness and non-reliance on government relief during periods of heightened tension or after catastrophic incidents; and

(4)developing international partnerships with allied nations for the provision of relief services and goods.

(b)The strategy required under subsection (a) shall include a description of—

(1)actions the Federal Government should take to ensure the basic needs of the civilian population of the United States in a catastrophic incident are met;

(2)how the Federal Government should coordinate with non-Federal entities to multiply resources and enhance relief capabilities, including—

(A)State and local governments;

(B)Indian Tribal governments;

(C)State disaster relief agencies;

(D)State and local disaster relief managers;

(E)State National Guards;

(F)law enforcement and first response entities; and

(G)nonprofit relief services;

(3)actions the Federal Government should take to enhance individual resiliency to the effects of a catastrophic incident, which actions shall include—

(A)readiness alerts to the public during periods of elevated threat;

(B)efforts to enhance domestic supply and availability of critical goods and basic necessities; and

(C)information campaigns to ensure the public is aware of response plans and services that will be activated when necessary;

(4)efforts the Federal Government should undertake and agreements the Federal Government should seek with international allies to enhance the readiness of the United States to provide for the general welfare;

(5)how the strategy will be implemented should multiple levels of critical infrastructure be destroyed or taken offline entirely for an extended period of time; and

(6)the authorities the Federal Government should implicate in responding to a catastrophic incident.

(c)In designing the strategy under subsection (a), the Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator and the Federal partners listed in section 822(b) of this title, shall account for certain factors to make the strategy operationally viable, including the assumption that—

(1)multiple levels of critical infrastructure have been taken offline or destroyed by catastrophic incidents or the effects of catastrophic incidents;

(2)impacted sectors may include—

(A)the transportation sector;

(B)the communication sector;

(C)the energy sector;

(D)the healthcare and public health sector; and

(E)the water and wastewater sector;

(3)State, local, Indian Tribal, and territorial governments have been equally affected or made largely inoperable by catastrophic incidents or the effects of catastrophic incidents;

(4)the emergency has exceeded the response capabilities of State, local, and Indian Tribal governments under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and other relevant disaster response laws; and

(5)the United States military is sufficiently engaged in armed or cyber conflict with State or non-State adversaries, or is otherwise unable to augment domestic response capabilities in a significant manner due to a catastrophic incident.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(4), is Pub. L. 93–288, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 143, which is classified principally to chapter 68 (§ 5121 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 5121 of Title 42 and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Validation of Strategy; Recommendations; Report Pub. L. 117–263, div. G, title LXXIII, §§ 7306–7308, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3688, provided that: “SEC. 7306. VALIDATION OF THE STRATEGY THROUGH AN EXERCISE.“Not later than 1 year after the addition of the annex required under section 7305 [6 U.S.C. 824], the Administrator shall lead an exercise as part of the national exercise program to test and enhance the operationalization of the strategy required under section 7305. “SEC. 7307. RECOMMENDATIONS.“(a) In General.—The Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator and the Federal partners listed in section 7303(b) of this title [6 U.S.C. 822(b)], shall provide recommendations to Congress for—“(1) actions that should be taken to prepare the United States to implement the strategy required under section 7305, increase readiness, and address preparedness gaps for responding to the impacts of catastrophic incidents on citizens of the United States; and “(2) additional authorities that should be considered for Federal agencies to more effectively implement the strategy required under section 7305. “(b) Inclusion in Reports.—The Secretary may include the recommendations required under subsection (a) in a report submitted under section 7308. “SEC. 7308. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.“Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Administrator leads the exercise under section 7306, the Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator, shall submit to Congress a report that includes—“(1) a description of the efforts of the Secretary and the Administrator to develop and update the strategy required under section 7305; and “(2) an after-action report following the conduct of the exercise described in section 7306.”

§824 Enhanced Catastrophic Incident Annex