Now that you've made it inside, we would like to take a few minutes to explain what Emergency Management is all about............
 

Put simply, Emergency Management is just as the name implies, the effective management of emergency and disaster situations.  This system was originally created by the Federal Government under the Civil Defense Act of 1960.  This Act established a system of local, public defense to protect the population of the United States from the threat of nuclear attack.  After the Cold War ended and along with it the major threat of nuclear war, it was decided that there should be an "All-Hazard" defense system to protect the citizens.  This "All-Hazard" system evolved into what we know today as Emergency Management.  The Emergency Management System is based on four distinct phases of operation.  They are:
 

Each of these phases are intimately linked to produce an effective means of managing emergency and disaster situations.

PREPAREDNESS :   This phase of Emergency Management represents the largest portion of our duties.  Preparedness involves many hours of preparing, or getting ready for the big event. It not only involves agency preparedness, but it also involves preparing the general public.   Examples of preparedness activities are:
 

RESPONSE :  Here's where the tires meet the asphalt, so to speak.  In the Response phase, we actually respond to the emergency or disaster situation as it is happening.  Hurricanes, tornados, flooding, hazardous materials releases......... you name it, we probably do it.  We respond by coordinating the actions of other Federal, State and Local agencies such as Fire, Emergency Medical, Law Enforcement, and even Military personnel and equipment when needed.
 

RECOVERY :  The Recovery phase starts when the immediate threat of a natural or man-made emergency or disaster is over.  Recovery is an "all-out" effort to return things to normal, after a disaster has struck.  Destroyed structures are rebuilt, storm debris is removed, and special assistance programs may be offered to help private citizens and businesses alike recover from the damages they received.  This phase may be as short as a few hours, or in the case of a major disaster such as a hurricane, it may take several years to fully recover from the devastation.
 

MITIGATION :  Mitigation can be described as an effort to lessen, remove, or prevent the impact on citizens and businesses from a major disaster.  A good example of mitigation would be the restriction of structural buildings in an area prone to flooding.  If a particular area floods on a regular basis, and houses are routinely damaged due to the flooding, it just makes good sense to relocate, or even elevate the houses that are in that area.  Once that's done, any damages to houses in the flood prone area have been lessened, prevented, or mitigated.
 

Okay, enough of the details about how the system got started, let's get on with what's happening in your local office!

  Click on the button to find out about your Local Emergency Management Office !