National Emergency Management Association

National Emergency Management Association
Name	National Emergency Management Association
Formation	1974
Type	Nonprofit association
Headquarters	Lexington, Kentucky
Region served	United States
Membership	U.S. state, territorial, and tribal emergency managers
Leader title	Executive Director

National Emergency Management Association The National Emergency Management Association serves as a professional association for state, territorial, and tribal emergency management officials across the United States. It convenes leaders from agencies involved with disaster preparedness, hazard mitigation, recovery, resilience, and continuity planning to exchange best practices and coordinate with federal partners. Through conferences, training, policy forums, and publications, the Association influences national discourse on incidents ranging from hurricanes to pandemics.

History

Founded in 1974 amid shifts in federal emergency policy after Hurricane Agnes (1972), the Association originated to link state emergency managers responding to disasters such as 1976 Ontario–Quebec tornado outbreak and later events including Hurricane Andrew and 1993 Mississippi River floods. Over decades the organization adapted to crises like September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and the COVID-19 pandemic, aligning with reforms embodied by statutes such as the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and initiatives from Federal Emergency Management Agency leadership. It has hosted presidentially attended summits influenced by policymaking in the National Response Framework and worked alongside entities shaped by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and responses to incidents like Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Organization and Membership

Membership comprises chief executives and practitioners from entities including state agencies in California, New York, Texas, and Florida, territorial offices in Puerto Rico and Guam, and tribal nations such as the Navajo Nation and Cherokee Nation. Member roles intersect with agencies like State Emergency Management Agency (Texas), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and offices modeled after Kentucky Division of Emergency Management. Governance typically includes an executive board, regional representatives, and committees mirroring structures used by the National Governors Association, Council of State Governments, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. The Association maintains relationships with professional groups such as American Red Cross, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

Programs and Activities

The Association organizes annual conferences, training academies, and exercises that draw practitioners from FEMA regions, the Department of Homeland Security, and military partners including the National Guard Bureau. Programs cover topics linked to events like Hurricane Sandy, wildfires affecting California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and infrastructure incidents like the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack. It publishes guidance used alongside materials from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Geological Survey for hazards including earthquakes, floods, and public health emergencies. Exercise activities coordinate with entities such as Transportation Security Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Policy and Advocacy

The Association advocates on legislation impacting disaster relief, mitigation funding, and resilience programming, engaging with committees in the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, including hearings before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Homeland Security. It provides testimony tied to appropriations debates over the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund and supports policy instruments like community resilience grants and hazard mitigation assistance modeled after programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Association contributes to rulemaking consultations related to the National Incident Management System and collaborates with think tanks and policy centers including the Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, and Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborative relationships span intergovernmental partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and regional entities like the FEMA Region IV Office. It works with nongovernmental organizations including Catholic Charities USA, Salvation Army (United States), and United Way affiliates, as well as private sector partners from utilities like American Water Works Association members and telecommunications firms represented in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. International linkages include exchanges with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Public Safety Canada, and emergency management counterparts in Australia and Japan following events such as the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Funding and Governance

Funding streams include membership dues, conference fees, foundation grants from entities like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and contracts with federal agencies including FEMA and Department of Health and Human Services. Governance follows nonprofit practices with a board of directors, bylaws, and audit requirements comparable to standards used by the American Bar Association and National Association of State Budget Officers. Ethical and transparency frameworks align with guidance from the Government Accountability Office and oversight by congressional committees when federal funds are involved.

Category:Emergency management in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Kentucky