The District announced Monday a federal reimbursement of $43 million for the city’s role in hosting January’s presidential inauguration, and took the opportunity to commend itself for a smooth-running event.
The money is the first to be distributed in the region, although Maryland and Virginia estimated costs of about $7 million each.
“We are continuing to pursue reimbursement of expenses,” said Gordon Hickey, spokesman for Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. The state’s original request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency was denied, he said.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s spokesman Shaun Adamec said that “to date, Maryland has not been reimbursed, but we have every expectation that we will be reimbursed, under the guidance of the state’s congressional delegation.”
Initial cost estimates made about two weeks before the inaugural activities ran high, but were based on worst-case scenarios. D.C. planned for about $47 million in expenses, Virginia for $16 million and Maryland for $12 million.
The District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency also released an annual report on the city’s preparedness, citing significant improvements because of inaugural planning.
Users of the city’s emergency text-message alert system increased to 70,600 over the past year, up from 37,500 in 2007. The number of Community Emergency Response Team volunteers increased to 3,300 people, up from 300 one year earlier.
In addition, the number of city employees trained in specific emergency management procedures increased to nearly 3,000, from about 800 the year before.
“The District has made significant strides,” said Mayor Adrian Fenty.
While the security report largely applauded city efforts, there were two major areas that were singled out for improvement.
In assessing its capacity to handle a major disaster, such as a terrorist strike on the Mall, the District would’ve had “shortages in shelter staffing” and difficulty “coordinating transportation and evacuation plans among multiple agencies,” the report said.
And despite the creation one year earlier of 11 subcommittees to prepare for the events, last-minute changes to plans and unprecedented numbers of attendees complicated efforts.
“As a result, agencies began the operational phase [of the inaugural activities] without a common understanding of all planning details,” according to the report.
