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Welcome to the Office of Emergency Management Website Preparing for and responding to major disasters are two of the most critical and difficult functions of local government. The Office of Emergency Management is dedicated to reducing the amount of harm, preparing our citizens, and speeding recovery when a disaster strikes. Local government is the first line of defense for citizens confronting the overwhelming power of a disaster. Because disasters are so complex, the effective exchange of information is critical in dealing with them successfully. This office was created to facilitate this exchange. Our work begins by educating community members about how to protect and prepare themselves. It continues by organizing City agencies and critical community partners into an effective team. Finally, it acts as catalyst and advocate during the recovery process. Our job is to help people achieve self-sufficiency and the community to become resilient in its ability to get through difficult times together. We invite you to join us in the effort. Barb Graff, Director of Emergency Management Roles Public Education After a big disaster that disables the elaborate support systems upon with we depend, the public will have to be self-sufficient until the systems can be restarted. We offer services to those who live, worker or visit the City to help them better prepare to take care of themselves while the City is getting back on its own feet. Please check out our Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare (SNAP) Program for residents, workers and vistors or our Project Impact business program aimed at business owners. Organizing City Response We want to ensure the City operates as effectively as possible after a disaster to minimize the time the public has to exercise its self-reliance. Accomplishing this task requires a huge amount of work before a disaster strikes. Our office writes the City's disater plan, coordinates training and exercises and maintains the City's Emergency Operations Center. Our office's job is not to lead the City's response, but rather to support the agencies and elected officials that do. Recovery After a disaster has occurred, our office facilitates getting the City and public help. In a federally declared disaster most of the funding comes from the federal government. The City assists the public first by documenting damage to make a case for a federal declaration. Once it has been declared, we help the public access federal resources. Often the City goverment has received damage, too. We apply for federal assistance to fix services that were broken by the disaster. |
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