COMMUNITY LIFELINES [https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/community-lifelines] WHY LIFELINES? * FEMA developed the community lifelines construct to increase effectiveness in disaster operations and better position the Agency to respond to catastrophic incidents * Lifelines are the most fundamental services in the community that, when stabilized, enable all other aspects of society * When disrupted, decisive intervention (e.g., rapid service re-establishment or employment of contingency response solutions) is required * During initial response, priority efforts focus on _stabilizing community lifelines_. * Lifelines provide an outcome-based, survivor- centric frame of reference that assists responders with: * Root Cause Analysis * Interdependencies * Prioritization * Ease of Communication HOW WERE LIFELINES DEVELOPED? * FEMA released initial guidance _(Lifelines Toolkit) _introducing the lifelines construct in February 2019, followed by significant stakeholder outreach and feedback including: * State and Local Emergency Managers * Interagency Partners * Private and Non-Profit Stakeholders * Construct was validated during responses to Hurricanes Michael, Florence, and Dorian, Super Typhoon Yutu, Alaska Earthquake, and during Shaken Fury full-scale exercise. * Lessons learned from exercises, operations, and stakeholder feedback resulted in refinement and improvement to the construct. * _National Response Framework (NRF) 4th Edition _formalized lifelines in national response policy * Enhanced Lifelines guidance _(Lifelines Toolkit 2.0) _released to support NRF Publication. Graphic [Lifeline Drive Response Graphic] VIEW THE LIFELINES TOOLKIT ONLINE AT: COMMUNITY LIFELINES IMPLEMENTATION TOOLKIT | FEMA.GOV [https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/lifelines-toolkit] If you have any questions or feedback, please email them to: Lifelines@fema.dhs.gov