New York City Office of Emergency Management
| NYC Emergency Management | |
(Logo prior to rebranding.)
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 Agency van with current logo. |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1996 |
| Jurisdiction | City of New York |
| Headquarters | 165 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NYC |
| Agency executive |
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| Key document | |
| Website | www1 |
The NYC Emergency Management (NYCEM) (formerly New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM)) was originally formed in 1996 as part of the Mayor's Office under Rudolph W. Giuliani. By a vote of city residents in 2001 it became an independent agency, headed by a Commissioner who reports to the Mayor. In 2006 the office was reorganized under the Deputy Mayor for Administration by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The agency is responsible for oversight and development of the City's emergency management plans. OEM regularly tests plans by conducting drills and exercises, and responds to emergencies to ensure that other agencies not only follow these plans, but to foster communication amongst the responding agencies. OEM also operates the City's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) where city, state and federal agencies join representatives from the private and nonprofit sectors to coordinate complex responses to emergencies and disasters.
The agency also developed and runs the Notify NYC emergency alert program, by which citizens can sign up to receive phone and email alerts about emergencies and events happening in their neighborhoods.
The agency is also the administrator of New York City's community emergency response teams. Each community emergency response team (CERT) is coterminous with a local Community Board districts.
The current Commissioner of OEM is Joseph Esposito, a former New York Police Department Department Chief.
Richard Sheirer was the director of the OEM at the time of the September 11th attacks, and thus became in charge of the city's rescue and recovery effort. Immediately after the attacks, OEM was temporarily housed at Pier 92 of New York Passenger Ship Terminal on Manhattan’s West Side. Before moving into the new building, OEM was located in a warehouse beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The new structure formerly served as the New York City headquarters for the American Red Cross of Greater New York. The $50 million project, funded by the federal government, called for the fifty-year-old building to be completely gutted and outfitted with the latest in audio-visual and communications technology.
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