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FEMA Reminds Americans That Readiness Must Continue All Year Long
Disaster, an act of nature or an act of terrorism, can strike at any time
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
DISASTER. It strikes anytime, anywhere. It takes many forms -- a hurricane, an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a fire or a hazardous spill, an act of nature or an act of terrorism. It builds over days or weeks, or hits suddenly, without warning. Every year, millions of Americans face disaster, and its terrifying consequences.
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What We Do
Advising on building codes and flood plain management...teaching people how to get through a disaster...helping equip local and state emergency preparedness...coordinating the federal response to a disaster...making disaster assistance available to states, communities, businesses and individuals...training emergency managers...supporting the nation's fire service...administering the national flood and crime insurance programs...the range of FEMA's activities is broad indeed and spans the life cycle of disasters.
The disaster life cycle describes the process through which emergency managers prepare for emergencies and disasters, respond to them when they occur, help people and institutions recover from them, mitigate their effects, reduce the risk of loss, and prevent disasters such as fires from occurring.
And at every stage of this cycle you see FEMA -- the federal agency charged with building and supporting the nation's emergency management system.
FEMA has more than 3,700 full time employees. They work at FEMA headquarters in Washington D.C., at regional and area offices across the country, the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, and the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. FEMA also has nearly 4,000 standby disaster assistance employees who are available for deployment after disasters. Often FEMA works in partnership with other organizations that are part of the nation's emergency management system. These partners include state and local emergency management agencies, 27 federal agencies and the American Red Cross.
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As National Preparedness Month Ends, FEMA Reminds Americans That Readiness Must Continue All Year Long
October 6, 2010
WASHINGTON -- As the seventh annual National Preparedness Month (NPM) comes to an end, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to remind citizens of the importance of emergency preparedness throughout the year. NPM, sponsored by the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, is held each September. NPM encourages Americans to take simple steps to prepare for emergencies in their homes, businesses and communities.
This year, more than 4,800 organizations joined the Ready Campaign as NPM Coalition Members, committing to promote emergency preparedness by hosting events and other activities in their communities. Coalition Members encourage the public to create a family plan, get an emergency kit and be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur in their area and their appropriate responses. This year's campaign also reached out to more than three million employees in the business community , 2,445 Citizen Corps Councils , 3,514 Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) , 27 Citizen Corps partners and affiliates, and countless individuals and families across the nation. These partners worked to bring government and community leaders together to involve citizens in all-hazards emergency preparedness and resilience.
"We made important strides during National Preparedness Month this year, reaching more Americans than ever before. But the real test is: Are we better prepared?" said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "We all know that emergencies can happen anytime and anywhere, and we need to continue to focus each and every day on getting the public ready and aware of all hazards. The public is an essential member of the nation's emergency management team and preparedness is crucial to the success of any emergency response. The more prepared we are now, the better off we'll be after disaster strikes."
Activities during the 2010 National Preparedness Month included:
- President Obama, the U.S. Army, 25 states and countless counties and cities issued proclamations urging all Americans to take time to prepare a family emergency plan, get an emergency supply kit and learn more about the types of disasters that might happen in their areas.
- The U.S. House of Representatives passed Resolution #1618 and the U.S. Senate passed Resolution #625 proclaiming September as National Preparedness Month.
- The Ready Campaign launched new PSAs targeted to the general public, and unveiled new video and print PSA's targeted toward the Hispanic market. The PSAs direct audiences to Ready.gov or Listo.gov where they can find tools and resources to prepare. Those PSAs can be found at: www.Ready.gov/america/about/psa.html.
- FEMA's Citizen Corps announced the winners of the 2010 National Citizen Corps Achievement Awards recognizing innovative practices and achievements of Citizen Corps Councils and individuals across the nation.
- FEMA's Citizen Corps, along with the U.S. Department of Education and the American Red Cross held the National Summit on Youth Preparedness, bringing together experts and authorities to develop a framework for a national strategy on grades K-12 preparedness education.
- The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security led interviews with a broad range of media across different regions of the U.S., which featured participation from additional FEMA leadership. These interviews combined helped reach more than 38 million people.
- Coalition Members posted more than 700 events on the National Preparedness Month calendar, spearheading activities that encourage specific steps for individual, neighborhood and community preparedness in every State and Territory.
- FEMA Regional Administrators and staff worked with state partners and attended regional fairs, conferences and meetings to promote personal preparedness and strengthen partnerships.
- FEMA's Private Sector Division sponsored 40 initiatives on business preparedness around the country, working with Target, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and many others to communicate preparedness information to more than three million employees.
- FEMA's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination hosted "Getting Real - The 2010 Inclusive Emergency Management National Capacity Building Training Conference." This three-day interactive training conference brought disability and emergency management community leaders together from across the country to build national capacity for inclusive emergency management practices.
For more information on the Ready Campaign and NPM, please visit www.Ready.gov or www.Listo.gov. Information is also available by phone at 1-800-BE-READY or 1-888-SE-LISTO.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
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On March 1, 2003, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS):
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Department of Homeland Security
Strategic Plan — One Team, One Mission, Securing Our Homeland
The Department of Homeland Security's overriding and urgent mission is to lead the unified national effort to secure the country and preserve our freedoms. While the Department was created to secure our country against those who seek to disrupt the American way of life, our charter also includes preparation for and response to all hazards and disasters. The citizens of the United States must have the utmost confidence that the Department can execute both of these missions.
The 2008 Strategic Plan serves to focus the Department's mission and sharpen operational effectiveness, particularly in delivering services in support of Department-wide initiatives and the other mission goals. It identifies the goals and objectives by which we continually assess our performance. The Department uses performance measures at all levels to monitor our strategic progress and program success. This process also keeps the Department's priorities aligned, linking programs and operations to performance measures, mission goals, resource priorities, and strategic objectives.
Faced with the challenge of strengthening the components to function as a unified Department, DHS must coordinate centralized, integrated activities across components that are distinct in their missions and operations. |
Thus, sound and cohesive management is the key to Department-wide and component-level strategic goals. We seek to harmonize our efforts as we work diligently to accomplish our mission each and every day.
Americans are a resilient people. We have overcome great adversities in the past, and we will do so again. Regardless of what challenges may come, we will work tirelessly to protect our country. In the face of national challenges, we are one Nation. And here at DHS, we are one Department, unified to ensure the security of the American people – a Department that will continue striving to protect our homeland while ensuring the strength of our economy and preserving our cherished American freedoms and liberties.
In this spirit, it is important to acknowledge that this Strategic Plan is a living document and will be revised as needed to guide a dynamic Department and its ever-changing requirements.
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