For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today delivered remarks at the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) 2012 Mid-Year Policy & Leadership Forum highlighting the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) ongoing partnerships with state, local, tribal and territorial emergency management leaders and personnel.
"Today we are better prepared, better coordinated and more resilient than ever before," said Secretary Napolitano. "We are committed to working with our partners across state, local, tribal and territorial levels to continue making important strides in emergency management and disaster preparedness, response and recovery."
During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano discussed the Department's efforts to enhance our nation's capabilities to prevent, protect against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters of all kinds through grant funding. As part of the Administration's FY 2013 budget proposal, DHS/the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a new homeland security grants program for FY 2013 designed to create a robust national response capacity based on cross-jurisdictional and readily deployable state and local assets. Secretary Napolitano thanked NEMA for their support for the proposed National Preparedness Grant Program.
Secretary Napolitano underscored the Department's commitment to pursuing innovative approaches to emergency management and disaster response. Earlier this month, FEMA and the Corporation for National and Community Service announced the creation of FEMA Corps, a unit of 1,600 service corps members who are devoted to supporting FEMA's disaster response and recovery efforts.
Secretary Napolitano also highlighted the Department's efforts to better leverage resources to coordinate response and recovery activities. FEMA provides extensive digital tools, including a smartphone app and text message program, to more effectively communicate important information about emergency services to disaster survivors and provide technical assistance to state, local, tribal and territorial communities.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.
###