Incident Coordination

When there is a natural disaster or other emergency events, the Disaster Preparedness Program (DPP) acts as the emergency management organization for the National Ocean Service (NOS) during the response phase by leading the coordination efforts, supporting logistical needs, and collecting situational awareness. This includes serving as liaisons on behalf of NOS to our federal, state, and local partners.

The DPP leads the NOS Incident Management Team (IMT), comprised of a cadre of staff from across all the NOS program and staff offices. The team operates year-round with a focus on effective and efficient incident coordination, and continuous improvement of plans and processes. The IMT works to ensure that NOS can carry out its responsibilities and protect its people under any conditions, focusing on supporting personnel, mission, and infrastructure. When a disaster strikes, the IMT is activated for situational awareness reporting throughout the duration of the response.

Regional Coordination

The DPP has regional coordinators strategically placed in the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico regions to ensure that NOS and our federal, state, and local partners have the tools necessary to plan for, respond to, and recover from disasters and events. The regional coordinators provide local expertise and guidance to the NOS Incident Management Team based on conditions on the ground.

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