The National Response Framework: A Cross-Case Analysis

The President approved the National Response Framework NRF in January 2008 to serve as the nations overarching document guiding the Federal Governments management of all-hazards response. The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of the NRF and identify any transcending capability gaps and performance shortfalls in the Framework. Addressing these gaps and shortfalls may lead to greater government efficiencies in future disaster response efforts. Research seeks to answer the following question How has the NRF performed in guiding emergency response actions in major natural disasters The following recent major disasters serve as backdrops to help assess the performance of the NRF 1 Missouri Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding April-June 2011, 2 Colorado High Park and Waldo Canyon Wildfires June-July 2012, and 3 Hurricane Sandy October-November 2012. This multiple case study reports findings across 14 common disaster response capabilities, identifies transcending deficiencies across multiple states, and recommends new areas of emphasis and strategies to integrate the NRF into the National Preparedness System. The NRF proved to be moderately successful in guiding the delivery of response core capabilities in the aforementioned disasters.