An additional priority that has emerged for HMA programs since the release of the Investment Strategy is the importance of community lifelines.[13] As part of the National Response Framework, FEMA developed the community lifeline framework (lifelines).[14] Lifelines enable the continuous operation of critical business and government functions and are essential to human health and safety or economic security. Lifelines are the integrated network of assets, services and capabilities that are used day-to-day to support the recurring needs of the community; mitigating lifelines should reduce cascading impacts across government and business functions and lessen system-wide damage.
Lifelines have served as a driving force behind the agency’s strategic goal of promoting and sustaining a ready FEMA and prepared nation. At the same time, the concept is intended to increase agencies’ response effectiveness and to promote the unification of response efforts across communities with the goal to stabilize or re-establish the communities’ most fundamental services during and after a disaster.
Lifelines are the most fundamental services needed for society to function. These services enable the continuous operation of government and business functions that are essential to human health and economic security. Lifelines include safety, security, food, shelter, and water, health and medical services, energy, communications, transportation and hazardous materials. The stabilization of community lifelines allows other aspects of society to function. While lifelines were developed to support response planning and operations, the concept can be applied across the entire preparedness cycle, including mitigation planning and mitigation activities.
The Investment Strategy encourages the federal government, non-federal partners and individuals to identify and prioritize activities that mitigate risk to lifelines to reduce the likelihood of disruption to critical services essential to human health, public safety and economic security. Mitigating risks to lifelines before, during and after disasters may result in less devastation, and response and recovery efforts may be faster and more effective. Through its HMA programs, FEMA promotes mitigation to reduce risks to lifelines before disasters and quickly restore lifelines after disasters to prevent cascading impacts. HMA programs also encourage applicants and subapplicants to include partners responsible for maintaining and improving lifelines into their mitigation planning. Additionally, applicants and subapplicants are encouraged to prioritize activities that will improve the resilience of critical services to disadvantaged populations in future hazard events and that can be implemented using a wide range of public and private resources in accordance with the Investment Strategy.