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National Risk and Capability Assessment

The National Risk and Capability Assessment (NRCA) is a suite of assessment products that measures risk and capability across the nation in a standardized and coordinated process. When analyzed together, these products will better measure national risks, capabilities, and gaps. The results will be reported in future National Preparedness Reports

Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)

Community THIRA

The Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) is a three-step risk assessment process that helps communities understand their risks and what they need to do to address those risks by answering the following questions:

  • What threats and hazards can affect our community?
  • If they occurred, what impacts would those threats and hazards have on our community?
  • Based on those impacts, what capabilities should our community have?

The outputs form this process lay the foundation for determining a community’s capability gaps as part of the Stakeholder Preparedness Review.

National THIRA

Building a culture of preparedness requires the nation to understand what risks to prepare for and how to prepare for them. The National Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (National THIRA) assesses the impacts of the most catastrophic threats and hazards to the Nation and establishes capability targets to manage them.

The 2019 National Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA): Overview and Methodology outlines FEMA’s approach to that process, which uses the same standardized impact and target language that all states, territories, members of the Urban Area Security Initiative grant program, and tribes use for their THIRAs. 

Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR)

The Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) is a self-assessment of a jurisdiction’s current capability levels against the targets identified in the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA). Using the targets from the THIRA, jurisdictions identify their current capability and how that capability changed over the last year, including capabilities lost, sustained, and built.

Jurisdictions also identify capability gaps related to planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercises, and indicate their intended approaches to address those gaps while also maintaining their current capabilities. In addition, jurisdictions identify how FEMA preparedness grants helped to build or sustain capabilities.

Tools for Conducting THIRA and SPR

Comprehensive Preparedness Guide

Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 201, Third Edition provides guidance for conducting a Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) and Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR). Where appropriate, this edition highlights key changes from previous editions of CPG 201. This Third Edition supersedes the Second Edition of CPG 201.

Increasing Resilience Using THIRA/SPR and Mitigation Planning

Increasing Resilience Using THIRA/SPR and Mitigation Planning (español) describes the similarities and differences between mitigation planning and the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)/Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR) process. It offers an optional approach to streamline state, territory, and tribal submissions of the mitigation plan and the THIRA/SPR. The document intends to help recognize opportunities to better understand threats and hazards, assess risks, build and sustain capabilities, reduce vulnerability, identify ways to increase resilience, and avoid duplication of effort.

Confidentiality Statement

Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment and Stakeholder Preparedness Review data include jurisdiction-specific preparedness data that is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (FOUO). The data cannot be distributed outside the federal government and is intended for recipients with a clear disaster/emergency preparedness mission and a valid need to know. Receipt of Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment and Stakeholder Preparedness Review data will be accompanied by this confidentiality statement and an interpretation guide. Jurisdictions can share their own assessments without restriction.