Preparedness is the work completed before a disaster so the organization can document and support its costs from the first day. It covers the plans, policies, contracts, inventories, and facility records that every later stage of Public Assistance depends on.
McGee Disaster Consulting Group works with organizations before an event to put that foundation in place.
We review current plans, policies, staffing, and recordkeeping against Public Assistance requirements and deliver a prioritized list of gaps.
We define recovery roles, decision authority, and department responsibilities, so staff know who does what when an event begins.
We set up disaster cost tracking, project codes, and finance procedures, so emergency spending is captured as it happens.
We review procurement, pay, overtime, and emergency staffing policies, so they are written, adopted, and applied consistently before an event.
We review contracts against 2 CFR Part 200 procurement standards and FEMA documentation expectations and identify issues to correct before the contracts are needed. Under 2 CFR 200.319(b), a contractor that drafts the specifications or statement of work for a procurement must be excluded from competing on it.
We build equipment inventories matched to the applicable equipment rates and materials inventories with stock numbers and unit costs.
We prepare field and office templates for labor, equipment, materials, and damage reporting, so records match across departments.
We organize facility inventories, photographs, maintenance records, and insurance schedules that establish the pre-disaster condition of each site.
We train staff on Public Assistance documentation and run tabletop exercises that test the plan before an event, on site or online.
Once an area is designated, deadlines follow at each stage. Preparedness is the only stage with no deadline.
Plans, policies, standby contracts, inventories, and facility records are developed and adopted, and staff are trained.
The governor or tribal chief executive requests a declaration, the President declares, and FEMA designates the areas covered.
The organization submits a Request for Public Assistance in FEMA Grants Portal within 30 days after its area is designated.
FEMA and the recipient meet with the organization to review impacts, documentation requirements, and the schedule.
The organization identifies and reports all incident-related impacts and damage to FEMA within 60 days of the Recovery Scoping Meeting.
Debris removal and emergency work must be completed within 6 months of the declaration and permanent work within 18 months.
Organizations engage McGee Disaster Consulting Group at three points: before an event, to put records and procedures in place; during an active response, to document emergency work and costs as they occur; and after a declaration, for project development, compliance, and reimbursement through closeout.
Documentation practices, internal procedures, staff training, and organized facility records.
Project development, compliance, reimbursement, and recovery management through closeout.
Public agencies, school systems, healthcare organizations, utilities, private nonprofits, and other organizations working through Public Assistance. Organizations Served
Each guide quotes the policy or regulation word for word, links to the source, and gives our plain-language reading.
