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Regional IV Organization
Regional organization includes five directorates, or divisions:
Office of the Regional Director (R4-ORD)
Serving FEMA's largest geographic region, the Office of the Regional
Director is charged with the administration of a variety of federal
emergency preparedness, mitigation, and disaster response and recovery
programs for the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Public Affairs Officer
The Public Affairs Officer is the Regional Director's adviser on
public information and Congressional affairs and is responsible
for timely, accurate coordination and dissemination of information
to the media, Members of Congress and the public about regional
activities both during and between disaster declarations.
Emergency Analyst
The Emergency Analyst is the Regional Director's adviser in planning,
executing and coordinating the analysis and operating function
of the office. The analyst is the primary source of advice and
assistance to the director and managers on long range (5 year)
and short range planning as well as other activities, such as
supporting partnerships with special interest groups to assure
equal opportunities and cooperative labor relations.
Hurricane Program Manager
The Hurricane Program Manager administers FEMA's National Hurricane
Program in Region IV. He coordinated technical and financial assistance
as well as hurricane-specific training, preparedness and mitigation
materials needed to protect the public from the effects of hurricanes.
He also coordinates Hurricane Evacuation Studies for Region IV
states. He also serves as team leader for the FEMA/State Hurricane
Liaison Team that operates from the National Hurricane Center
in Miami during hurricane threats to the United States.
Flood Insurance and Mitigation Division
The mission of the Federal Insurance & Mitigation Division
is to significantly reduce vulnerability from natural and human
caused hazards in partnership with other Federal agencies, State
and local government, and the private sector .
The Division is responsible for providing technical and financial
assistance, both pre- and post-disaster, designed to reduce the
vulnerability of communities to disaster impacts. It does so through
a variety of programs and activities such as:
- Assisting State and local governments and non-governmental entities
in developing floodplain management and loss reduction programs;
- Providing technical and financial assistance to conduct natural
hazard identification and risk assessment studies;
- Managing and/or administrating mitigation programs, including
the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System
(CRS), Cooperating Technical Partners (CTP), Hazard Mitigation
Grants Program (HMGP), Community Assistance Programs (CAP), Earthquake
Program, Flood Insurance Studies and Restudies, and Limited Map
Maintenance Program (LMMP); and
- Staffing disaster field offices for the mitigation operational
elements and supporting regional response and recovery operations.
Another major activity is the development and implementation of
Pre-Disaster Mitigation in the eight Region IV States. The goal
of Pre-Disaster Mitigation is to reduce the personal and economic
costs of disasters by bringing together community leaders, citizens,
and businesses to prepare for and protect themselves against natural
hazards. Associated activities include the establishment of pilot
communities in each State, unifying internal partners toward a fully
integrated regional approach to support Pre-Disaster Mitigation,
and promoting the development of State initiatives and programs
to build disaster resistant communities.
The Mitigation Division is structurally organized into two branches,
the Community Mitigation Programs (CMP) Branch and the Hazard Identification
and Risk Assessment (HIRA) Branch and two teams that report to the
Division Director, Pre-Disaster Mitigation and Environmental.
Readiness, Response & Recovery (RRR)
The Response and Recovery Division develops and maintains an integrated
operating partnership with federal, state and local agencies capable
of responding to a recovering from disasters regardless of the cause.
Also, coordinate training, exercises and response planning at federal,
state and local levels, to ensure that when a disaster strikes,
emergency managers will be able to provide the best response possible.
Community & Family Services Branch
Human Services provides assistance to individuals and businesses
affected by a disaster. That assistance can include grants to
pay for necessary repairs to make a home livable, or for a place
to live if the home was more heavily damaged. It also can include
the Individual and Family grant program, administered by the state
but funded by FEMA for 75 per cent of the costs. Individuals and
businesses with the ability to repay a loan may qualify for a
Small Business Administration low-interest disaster loan.
The Infrastructure Branch
The Infrastructure Branch administers programs that reimburse
state, county and local governments, as well as certain eligible
private non-profit organizations for costs incurred in a disaster.
Assistance may include reimbursement for disaster related costs
for debris removal, emergency protective measures, repairs to
roads and bridges, repairs to water control facilities, repair
or replacement of public buildings and contents, restoring non-profit
public utilities, and repairs to parks, recreational and other
facilities. FEMA pays 75 per cent of the costs with the remaining
25 per cent coming from state or local sources.
Operations and Planning Branch
The Operations and Planning Branch develops and maintains a regional
capability to respond effectively to all disasters in the region.
It also revises and updates response plans as needed. The branch
monitors potential disasters that may require a federal response.
Effective response is accomplished by developing the capability
to mobilize and sustain emergency teams and facilities. It also
involves coordination and liaison between FEMA and other federal,
state, local and voluntary agencies as well as the private sector.
State and Local Assistance Branch
The State and Local Assistance Branch is the day-to-day interface
with state and local governments. It develops the Performance
Partnership Agreements, which defines the FEMA/state relationships
in all-hazards emergency management. The branch also administers
cooperative agreements to state and local agencies for core emergency
management staffing as well as technical assistance terrorism,
arson prevention, and other critical programs.
Training and Exercise Branch
The Training and Exercise Branch administers the Radiological
Emergency Preparedness Program (REPP) for the 17 commercial nuclear
power plants in seven of the eight Region IV states. FEMA is responsible
for assuring that state and local governments have adequate plans
for public protection in an actual incident at those plants. The
branch also administers the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness
Program (CSEPP) in two Region IV states that have U.S. Army facilities
housing chemical munitions; the Emergency Management Training
(EMT) program that conducts training for personnel in the Regional
Office and Disaster Field Offices and the Hazardous Materials
(HAZMAT) Program.
Administration and Resource Planning (ARP)
The Operations Support Division provides the region with logistics,
security, health and safety, and other mission support services
essential to the accomplishment of the region's management program.
Disaster support facilities operations; the protection of personnel,
facilities and equipment to ensure a secure environment for FEMA
and its emergency management partners; the Occupational Safety and
Health Program; and numerous mission support functions such as printing
and graphics, records and space management and procurement, are
all managed by OSD.
Administrative Branch
Information Systems Branch
Office of National Preparedness
ONP's Roles:
- Coordinate Federal programs dealing with WMD consequence management
- Solicit input and advice from partners
- Collect, share and disseminate information
- Ensure needs of State and local governments are addressed
National Strategy for WMD Preparedness:
- Must be threat and risk based
- Must be all hazards based - address emerging threats
- Must include performance objectives and standards
- Must provide adequate multi-year funding
ONP Goal:
Our goal is to develop a holistic local, state, and Federal effort
that is inclusive of ALL participants.
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