The NOAA Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is assigned the responsibility for NOAA Headquarters’ plans, programs and policies for homeland security and execution of incident management. This responsibility strengthens the agency’s ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies by providing a unity of effort and the focal point of contact for NOAA leadership, Department of Commerce (DOC), the White House Homeland Security Council, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other interagency partners.

OEM is responsible for:

  • Maintaining the NOAA Administrative Order (NAO 210-100): All Hazards Incident Management and all supplemental guidance ensuring NOAA compliance with the National Response Framework;
  • Ensuring all NOAA programs adhere to the policies and protocols in the NOAA All-Hazards Concept of Operations Handbook (CONOPS);
  • Coordinating and, under certain circumstances, directing in the Under Secretary's stead and through the proper chain of command, NOAA's efforts to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from incidents of all hazards and all origins;
  • Acting as NOAA liaison with the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies, and serves as the Under Secretary's principal adviser on issues relating to intelligence matters, terrorism, and homeland security-related emergencies; and
  • Acting on behalf of the Under Secretary, OEM is responsible for evaluating NOAA's response to incidents looking for areas of improvement.

Links to federal homeland security sites and resources: