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Our mission is helping people before, during and after disasters. Our core values and goals help us achieve it.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employs more than 20,000 people nationwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we have 10 regional offices located across the country. We leverage a tremendous capacity to coordinate within the federal government to make sure America is equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters.
Mission, Values and History
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Our Mission
FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters, and our core values and goals help us achieve it.
Strategic Plan
The goals and objectives laid out in the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan will help ensure success for our agency, the emergency management community, and those we serve. The Plan outlines three bold, ambitious goals to meet this challenge:
- Instill equity as a foundation of emergency management
- Lead whole of community in climate resilience
- Promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation
Core Values
Thecore valuesthat guide our agency can be found in our capstone doctrine, “We Are FEMA” or Publication One (Pub 1).
Pub 1 helps us understand our role in the emergency management community and gives our agency direction in how we conduct ourselves each day.
History of FEMA
FEMA was officially created in 1979 through an executive order by President Jimmy Carter. Our history can be traced as far back as 1803.
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security. Learn more about our history.
Structure
FEMA is comprised of Program Offices and Regional Offices located throughout the United States.
Our workforce can swell to over 50,000 active members during major disasters.
Learn more about joining FEMA in Careers.
States, Regions, Tribes and Territories
View disaster declarations, news and contact information by state, region, tribe and territory.
| Region | States/ Territory |
|---|---|
| Region 1 | Connecticut | Maine | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | Rhode Island | Vermont |
| Region 2 | New Jersey | New York | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands |
| Region 3 | Delaware | Maryland | Pennsylvania | Virginia | District of Columbia | West Virginia |
| Region 4 | Alabama | Florida | Georgia | Kentucky | Mississippi | North Carolina | South Carolina | Tennessee |
| Region 5 | Illinois | Indiana | Michigan | Minnesota | Ohio | Wisconsin |
| Region 6 | Arkansas | Louisiana | New Mexico | Oklahoma | Texas |
| Region 7 | Iowa | Kansas | Missouri | Nebraska |
| Region 8 | Colorado | Montana | North Dakota | South Dakota | Utah | Wyoming |
| Region 9 | Arizona | California | Hawaii | Nevada | Guam | American Samoa | Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands | Republic of Marshall Islands | Federated States of Micronesia |
| Region 10 | Alaska | Idaho | Oregon | Washington |
Newsletters
FEMA has several publicly available newsletters that we email to subscribers. The newsletters range from information for emergency managers to location or region specific material for the general public in that area.
We also have an archive of the FEMA Bulletin available online. This publication highlights the agency's recent and upcoming program and policy activities and announcements.
Sign Up for Newsletters
FEMA Resources
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