What is Emergency Management?

History

In 1803, the United States Congress passed the first federal disaster legislation to provide relief to Portsmouth, New Hampshire following a major fire on December 25, 1803.  The demand for greater government support to relief efforts rose following the Galveston Hurricane in 1900 and the San Francisco Earthquake in 1906.  In 1927, Federal resources responded to the Great Mississippi Flood and integrated with American Red Cross and other private sector operations.  This marked the first time that the Federal Government directly assisted in disaster response and recovery efforts.  

During the 1950s, the rise of nuclear threats due to the Cold War led to the establishment of the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA), which marked a shift towards more organized emergency preparation in a effort to mitigate large-scale catastrophes.  By 1978, over 100 federal programs were created to address disasters, but a lack of centralized coordination caused significant delays and inefficiencies.  Recognizing the need for coordination, President Jimmy Carter issued Executive Order 12127 in 1979, which official established the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  Then, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, transformed the emergency management landscape into what we recognize today.  

Today, emergency management efforts are guided by FEMA's National Response Framework (NRF) and National Incident Management System (NIMS).  The NRF is a comprehensive guide to disaster response in the United States.  The NIMS standardizes emergency operations across local, county, state, federal, and tribal agencies.  The evolution of emergency management in the United States highlights the importance of coordination, innovation, and resiliency.