Late last month, FEMA released the 2020 National Preparedness Report (NPR), an annual requirement of Presidential Policy Directive 8 and consistent with the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The annual report, now in its ninth year, presents “an updated, risk-focused approach to summarizing the state of national preparedness.” The 2020 NPR is based on data available as of December 31, 2019

As a key element of the National Preparedness System, FEMA says the annual report “offers all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the public practical insights into preparedness that support decisions about program priorities, resource allocations, and actions that can create more resilient communities.”

The report also highlights some of the persistent challenges the nation faces, explains how the nation is collectively working to solve those challenges, and describes what the nation must continue to do to build on those successes. 

Additionally, the 2020 NPR includes the initial results of the National Risk and Capability Assessment (NRCA). The NRCA meets the obligations of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018, which requires “tiered, capability-specific performance objectives” to assess national preparedness. As anticipated, the 2020 report found that while some significant capability gaps still remain, the nation as a whole is closer to achieving its national preparedness goals. 

The 2021 National Preparedness Report will explore the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate the nation’s response to it through December 2020. 

To download a copy of NPR 2020, click below: