Program Support
Bipartisan Budget Act – Implementation and Training
Hurricanes Irma and Maria | U.S. Virgin Islands
Hurricanes Irma and Maria rendered much of the already vulnerable infrastructure across the Caribbean inoperable. After two back-to-back disasters, the historically under resourced economies of the region had limited funding to repair and upgrade facilities and systems – an alternative was needed. With the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA), FEMA was granted additional flexibility for applicants to improve critical facilities that were previously ineligible for Public Assistance (PA) funding.
As a Technical Writer, I drafted FEMA policy to implement the BBA, and developed a training course to inform territorial representatives and our FEMA colleagues on how to administer the new program. Faced with tight regulatory deadlines, my colleagues and I worked quickly to develop policy, design courses, and deliver training programs to nearly 1,000 individuals within 12 months.
Servicing the applicant and navigating the sensitive political landscape required us to operate carefully as we trained various constituents with, at times, opposing interests. To ensure a successful roll out, we adjusted our training according to our audience while protecting the policy and the PA program. It worked – applicants who attended the training produced the required documents and details to justify FEMA approval for close to 90 BBA-funded projects.