The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is a branch of the U.S. Department of Home- land Security aiding those recovering from disaster. With almost 4000 employees located in Wash- ington D.C. and 10 regional offices around the country, FEMA partners with state and local emer- gency management agencies, 27 federal agencies and the American Red Cross.

Mission Statement: To support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

NFIP: The National Flood Insurance Program is one of FEMA’s many grants and assistance pro- grams which enables property owners to purchase insurance against losses due to floods in states which implement community floodplain management regulations to reduce future flood damages.

FIRM’s: Flood Insurance Rate Maps are official maps of a community where FEMA has defined spe- cial hazard areas and includes the risk premium zones for that community. A FIRMette or full-scale copies of a FIRM, can be made by visiting the FEMA website including definitions of FEMA flood zone designations.

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