RALEIGH – FEMA, alongside North Carolina Emergency Management, announced today the first FEMA Integration Team (FIT), making North Carolina the first state to have FEMA staff co-located with its emergency management agency. The teams will provide technical and training assistance regarding FEMA programs and continuous on-site support to the state.
“This is a new way for FEMA to do business with our state partners, getting staff out of our regional offices and into the states.” said Administrator Brock Long. “We will talk to, and learn from, each other during blue sky days, not just when disaster strikes. Readying the nation for catastrophic disasters is about the partnerships we build every day.”
“There are real benefits to having FEMA staff embedded with us, right here where we can talk with them directly each day,” said Michael Sprayberry, Director, North Carolina Emergency Management.
In fiscal year 2018, FEMA plans to embed staff in up to 10 states for Phase I. Phase 2 will expand FITs to include up to 34 partners spanning across all 10 FEMA regions. Phase 3 will reach full operating capability with FITs embedded in all partner offices across all 10 regions throughout the nation.
The 2017 disaster season was historic for federal disaster response and recovery, with 59 major disaster declarations and 16 emergency declarations across 34 states and four tribes. As these disasters have transitioned into longer term recovery, FEMA and its partners are working to increase capabilities and build resilience to fulfill our mission to help people before, during, and after disasters.
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