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Region X

Supporting the citizens and first responders of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington

 
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What We Do

From our offices in Bothell, Washington, FEMA Region X (Ten) works with the emergency management agencies of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to accomplish FEMA’s mission 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.

The states served by FEMA Region X can experience a variety of hazards including earthquakes, wild fires, volcanic eruptions, landslides and tornados as well as weather emergencies like snow, ice, wind and heavy rain.

To help accomplish FEMA’s mission Region X maintains strong partnerships through its Regional Advisory Council  and Regional Interagency Steering Committee.

Constructed on the site of a decommissioned Nike missile site, the Bothell Federal Regional Center (FRC) is one of six similar operations centers built during the late 1960s. Total cost of design, construction, etc. was $1,860,000 (estimated cost of constructing a similar building in 1983 was over $25 million, and the cost today would easily exceed $40 million). The building itself is a subterranean office structure designed to be reasonably survivable in the event of foreseeable natural or man-made disasters.

Stay informed of Region X and FEMA's activities online: Follow Region X at www.twitter.com/femaregion10
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News


Seattle Hosts National Hazard Mitigation Assistance Implementation Meeting

L to R - FEMA Mitigation Grants Implementation Branch Chief Tony Hake, FEMA RX Regional Administrator Ken Murphy, RX HMA Branch Chief Chris Jonientz-Trisler and RIX HMA Branch Chief David Kennard share success stories during a working group break. FEMA News photo//Mike HowardRegion X hosted FEMA’s biannual Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Implementation Meeting at the Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle, 28-30 July. According to Region X HMA branch chief Chris Jonientz-Trisler, attendees included senior staff and branch chiefs from FEMA headquarters and all ten regions getting together to ground-truth the Unified HMA program. “FEMA regions and headquarters leaders are meeting in Seattle to address national-level policy issues that impact community mitigation projects,” said Jonientz-Trisler. “Our work will result in more timely, effective and nationally consistent delivery of mitigation programs to states and communities.” Region X Regional Administrator Ken Murphy, on hand for Day 2 , and a committed mitigator since joining the emergency management profession, underscored the absolute importance of practical applications. “Mitigation can be a hard sell, especially in today’s financial climate,” said Murphy. “Citizens, communities and government agencies are supportive, but we must provide demonstrable results and proper use of taxpayer dollars.”

U.S. Army North Commander Visits Pacific NW

FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy (L) briefs U.S. Army North Commander Lt. Gen Swan on regional operations.Lt. Gen. Guy Swan III, commanding general, U.S. Army North, visited state, local and federal emergency management counterparts during a whirl-wind visit 7-8 July 2010. No stranger to the Pacific Northwest (Swan served in Fort Lewis in the mid-80’s) this was his second visit in his capacity as Army North commander, having previously visited the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho in 2009. “We have Defense Coordinating Elements (DCE) co-located with every FEMA Region to ensure immediate support in the event of a qualifying emergency or disaster event,” said Swan. “If FEMA needs to mission-assign Department of Defense assets to support disaster response efforts, they are able to work with embedded subject-matter experts.” No argument from FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy. “To use a military metaphor, you need to train the way you fight,” said Murphy. “Our DCE is fully integrated into regional operations. When it’s time to deploy, there’ll be no surprises.”

FEMA Region X All-Hands

FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy (L) recognized Communications Chief Terry Knight for over 20 years of federal service during the 7 July 2010 Regional All Hands Meeting. “You can all expect to see a lot of me,” said Murphy. “Don’t be surprised to look up from your workstation as I drop by for an informal chat.” FEMA News Photo//Mike Howard FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy, sworn in to his new position on 29 June 2010, hosted his first “All-Hands” meeting at the Federal Regional Center in Bothell, Washington on 7 July. No stranger to FEMA Region X (he worked very closely with the agency during his eleven-year tenure as Oregon Emergency Management Director, and as National Emergency Management Association President, became intimately familiar with FEMA offices across the country) Murphy shared his leadership philosophy and guiding principles. “I already know what a strong region I’ve got,” said Murphy. “My challenge will be to provide the tools and resources to make you even better.”

Ken Murphy, New Region X Administrator

Anchorage, AK, June 29, 2010 -- FEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino congratulates Kenneth Murphy (L) after swearing-in Murphy as FEMA's Region 10 Administrator. Murphy, most recently Oregon's Director of Emergency Management and past President of the National Emergency Management Association, took the oath in the presence of Region 10's state emergency management directors and FEMA Region 10 leadership who were attending the annual Western Regional Emergency Management Advisory Committee meeting. David Bibo/FEMAFEMA Deputy Administrator Richard Serino congratulates Kenneth Murphy (L) after swearing-in Murphy as FEMA's Region 10 Administrator. Murphy, most recently Oregon's Director of Emergency Management and past President of the National Emergency Management Association, took the oath in the presence of Region 10's state emergency management directors and FEMA Region 10 leadership who were attending the annual Western Regional Emergency Management Advisory Committee meeting.

Tacoma Hosts Partners In Emergency Preparedness

FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Dennis Hunsinger welcomed attendees to the 2010 Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference. There’s often a perception that FEMA is and does everything—this couldn’t be further from the truth, said Hunsinger. As FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says, FEMA is not the nation’s emergency management team…it is part of the team. Without the state, local, and tribal partners in this room…and equally important, the individual citizen… there’s no way we could be successful. FEMA Newsphoto//Mike Howard.Tacoma, Wa. -- Over 600 government, non-profit, and private sector emergency managers, planners, public health professionals and academicians attended the 2010 Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference 6-7 April 2010 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. The largest and most successful regional emergency preparedness conference in the Pacific Northwest, this year’s presentations and exhibits highlighted cutting-edge themes ranging from business continuity planning, school safety, public health preparedness, homeland security, and public information.

Sponsors included: Day Wireless, James Lee Witt Associates, PEMCO, Praxair Distribution Inc., Premera Blue Cross, Puget Sound Energy, Seattle Public Utilities, Verizon Wireless, Washington State Department of Health, Washington State Emergency Management Association, Washington State Emergency Management Division and the Washington State Hospital Association.

RX Mitigation Talks NFIP at Law Seminar

FEMA Regional Mitigation Division Director Mark Carey discusses the proposed ESA/NFIP Model Ordinance with GordonDerr’s Molly Lawrence. FEMA Newsphoto//Mike Howard. FEMA Region X Mitigation Division Director Mark Carey teamed up with GordonDerr Attorneys at Law’s Molly Lawrence to discuss floodplain regulations, remapping and the National Marine Fishery Service’s Biological Opinion on Puget Sound floodplains for the 28 January 2010 10th Annual Wetlands in Washington seminar in Seattle. The seminar focused on new challenges, opportunities and best practices and according to Carey, NFIP’s intersection with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) embodies all three foci. “We’re finalizing a model ordinance which will allow communities with Puget Sound floodplains to demonstrate full compliance with the ESA as well as the NFIP,” said Carey. “The model ordinance itself will be strictly voluntary and can be adopted in full or in part. We’ll also be offering checklists and guidance which allow communities to demonstrate the same compliance.”

Archives

Floodplain Management Guidebook, 5th Edition

This document is a local administrator's guide to floodplain management and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Click here to access the guidebook.

Evaluating Losses Avoided Through Hazard Mitigation - City of Centralia

(PDF 1MB, TXT 21KB)

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 11-Aug-2010 20:07:04 EDT