When it comes to meeting national preparedness goals, the Unites States is making good progress overall, according to the National Preparedness Report, which was released earlier today by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Cybersecurity and long-term recovery from disaster remained areas of concern, however. Measuring progress was also a challenge.

The report, which was mandated as part of Presidential Policy Directive 8, will serve as a baseline on where the nation stands in meeting its National Preparedness Goal, which outlines “core capabilities” needed to prevent, respond to, and recover from disaster. The report is based on self-reporting by all levels of government, private- and nonprofit-sector organizations, and community groups in 56 U.S. states and territories.

“This report illustrates areas of national strength to include planning, operational coordination, intelligence and information sharing, and other response related capabilities,” FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said in a statement. “We must continue to build on the significant progress to date and address identified opportunities for improvement.”

Public health and medical services were rated a huge success in most states, with about 78 percent reporting they were solid on their capabilities. Operational coordination and communication during disaster and public information and warning were also ranked similarly.

Providing housing, economic recovery, and cultural resources after disaster were at the bottom of the capability spectrum, underranked only by preparedness for cyberattack.

“Cybersecurity was the single core capability where states had made the least amount of overall progress, with an average capability level of 42 percent,” the report stated, but added that improvements were already on the way. “To counter these and related threats, federal and private sector partners have accelerated initiatives to enhance data collection, detect events, raise awareness, and respond to cyber incidents. In fact, most infrastructure protection stakeholders now identify cybersecurity as a priority issue for their programs.”