Federal management of emergencies

The federal government has organized its emergency preparedness and response functions along resource lines. Central coordination of these activities is the responsibility of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which provides overall policy direction, orchestrates the national response to major emergencies and, when necessary, adjudicates competing claims for limited resources. Emergency management of each key national resource is the province of the federal department or agency most directly concerned. Responsibility for production and distribution of the resources of U.S. industry resides in the Department of Commerce, which 1.(i) assures that domestic industry continues to meet the requirements of national security during peacetime and2.(ii) is prepared to expand governmental and industrial activities to satisfy wartime requirements. The Reagan administration has established the Emergency Mobilization Preparedness Board (EMPB) to improve civil support of the armed forces and meet the needs of the national economy during major emergencies.