COMMUNITY LIFELINES
[https://www.fema.gov/fact-sheet/community-lifelines] 

A "lifeline" enables the continuous operation of critical government
and business functions and is essential to human health and safety or
economic security.

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 understanding and
addressing community impacts. 

Lifelines provide an outcome-based, survivor- centric frame of
reference that assists responders with:

	* Root Cause Analysis
	* Interdependencies
	* Prioritization
	* Ease of Communication

HOW LIFELINES WERE 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_
[https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/frameworks/response]_
_formalized lifelines in national response policy, and enhanced
Lifelines guidance _(__Lifelines Toolkit 2.0_
[https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/lifelines-toolkit]_)
_released to support NRF publication.
[Chart of Lifelines Drive Response - from Pre-Incident to Recovery]
[https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/lifelines-toolkit]
 

[alert - info]
View the Community Lifelines Implementation Toolkit
[https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/lifelines-toolkit].

 

If you have any questions or feedback, please email them to:
Lifelines@fema.dhs.gov