What are FEMA Community Lifelines?

• A. A list of emergency shelters only.
• B. An integrated network of assets, services, and capabilities that provide lifeline services, which are used for day-to-day to support recurring needs of the community response.
• C. A set of guidelines for building codes.
• D. A financial grant program.

Answer: (B)

FEMA Community Lifelines are an integrated network of assets, services, and capabilities that provide lifeline services used to meet day-to-day needs and to support the ongoing community response. These lifelines cover essential functions like safety and security, food, water, shelter, health and medical, energy, communications, transportation, and hazardous materials management. The idea is to coordinate across agencies so critical services keep operating during a disaster and to guide how resources are allocated to maintain those services as the response unfolds.

This is why the correct choice is the one that describes a distributed system of services and capabilities, not just a single element like shelters, nor guidelines for building codes, nor a grant program.