Memorandum of Agreement between EPA and the Department of Homeland Security /Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA)
In 2023, EPA and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA) updated a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that promotes collaboration between the two agencies to help communities become safer, healthier and more resilient.
The agencies collaborate to help communities plan, prepare, and reduce risks pre-disaster for long-term resilience. In addition, the agencies partner with communities impacted by disasters to rebuild in ways that protect the environment, create long-term economic prosperity and enhance neighborhoods.
On this page:
Executive Summary of 2023 Memorandum of Agreement Update
The goals of this MOA are to:
- Support more efficient recovery that builds long-term resilience, including assigning EPA Sustainability Advisors after major disasters, identifying place-based assistance, and providing pathways to further scientific knowledge that can inform future mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery;
- Work cooperatively to build state, local, tribal, and territorial resilience, including through joint training, technical assistance and other supportive guidance; and
- Promote and foster engagement and collaboration for underserved and vulnerable communities to broaden the impacts of programs and support mitigation actions that follow the principles of environmental justice and equity, including providing assistance and new tools to address climate and disaster-related public health issues.
EPA and FEMA plan to do this by:
- Working on joint technical assistance, funding guidance and grant review;
- Leveraging and evaluating existing tools and develop new ones as needed;
- Conducting cost-benefit analyses or other measures of effectiveness, of nature-based solutions and other multi-benefit resilience projects;
- Coordinating EPA and FEMA involvement in related federal workgroups and by connecting new lines of work from within each agency to this MOA workgroup;
- Identifying topics of mutual interest to focus on each year;
- Highlighting case studies of effective projects for both internal and external audiences; and
- Sharing programmatic expertise on the execution of revolving loan fund programs.
EPA and FEMA Collaboration
The original MOA was first signed in 2010 and then updated in 2016 and now again in 2023. Since 2010, EPA and FEMA have strengthened their collaboration and worked together in new and exciting ways, such as:
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Expanding the focus of this MOA to include new tools and technical assistance around disaster debris planning, creating resilience hubs such as cleaner air and cooling centers, and delivering training to water utilities on multi-hazard resilience planning;
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Continuing to promote and foster engagement and collaboration for underserved and vulnerable communities to 1) broaden the impacts of programs and 2) support mitigation actions that follow the principles of environmental justice and equity, including providing assistance and new tools to address climate- and disaster-related public health issues such as smoke from wildfires;
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Establishing a separate memorandum of understanding (MOU) to streamline coordination between FEMA and State Revolving Loan Funds for clean water and drinking water, so that faster recovery funds flow to essential infrastructure projects;
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Expanding agency commitments to climate change with the adoption of adaptation plans across EPA programs and regions, which include specific actions for how EPA will partner with SLTT governments as well as communities and neighborhoods of all sizes to strengthen their ability to anticipate, mitigate, prepare for, adapt to and recover from the adverse impacts of climate change; additionally, implement FEMA’s Strategic Plan to incorporate climate adaptation into federal disaster relief projects and national preparedness; and
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Developing resources to assist state, local, tribal and territorial partners in navigating the FEMA resources that are available to support communities in adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change and building resilience (FEMA Resources for Climate Resilience and Long-Term Community Resilience Exercise Resource Guide are two recent examples).
Case Studies
The following case studies include several updated hazard mitigation/resilience and recovery projects that highlight best practice collaborative efforts since this MOA was last updated in 2016.
Hazard Mitigation/Resilience Projects
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Six Green Infrastructure and Hazard Mitigation Pilots - EPA and FEMA partnered on technical assistance to Ashland, OR; Albany, NY; Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Huntington, WV; Mystic River Watershed, MA; and Maricopa County, AZ to integrate green infrastructure into state and local hazard mitigation for multiple benefits.
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Regional Resilience Planning Assistance - EPA and FEMA published the Regional Resilience Toolkit in 2019, which provides steps and worksheets to help multiple jurisdictions and levels of government to work together for regional-scale actions. It is also designed for nongovernmental partners and community groups to engage in a more inclusive and holistic process so that resilience actions are guided by core community values. From 2020 to 2021, EPA and FEMA helped eight regional partnerships use the toolkit to jointly plan for multi-hazard resilience and design site-specific resilience projects.
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Tribal Green Infrastructure Design and Benefit-Cost Analysis
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EPA and FEMA Region 8 worked with the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes to update their Hazard Mitigation Plan with climate change scenarios, develop green infrastructure designs and implementation plans that are eligible for FEMA funding. This place-based green infrastructure design assistance helped the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes develop locally appropriate strategies that create new recreational green space, support revitalization of community centers and support long-term climate change adaptation with nature-based solutions and new resilience hubs.
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EPA and FEMA partnered with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to assess environmental and human health risks from legacy mining waste along the Lake Superior shoreline. The team developed green infrastructure designs and a project plan intended to improve broader community resilience, including through specific hazard mitigation strategies that protect the health, safety, economic and traditional food and medicine practices of the community.
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Recovery Projects
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Recreation Economy Recovery – Florida Panhandle - To support recovery from Hurricane Michael, FEMA and EPA provided support to six cities in the Florida Panhandle with a technical assistance effort called the Recovery and Resiliency Partnership Project (R2P2). The results were new designs for more resilient streets, parks, and stormwater infrastructure that could also improve local economies by attracting visitors to downtowns and local recreational assets.
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Energy Resilience Assessment – Culebra, Puerto Rico - In September 2017, Hurricane Maria rendered the island of Culebra, PR, without electricity for three months until two 2-megawatt diesel generators were used to provide power. To support the Economic Recovery Support Function, EPA coordinated an intergovernmental–nonprofit partnership to assess viability of renewable energy generation for critical infrastructures. Through a partnership including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and funding through EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative, EPA Region 2 conducted a renewable energy alternative study for Culebra and its approximately 1,800 residents. Based on the findings, Culebra will get Economic Development Administration funding for 1) designing and installing a solar microgrid system for the downtown business sector and 2) developing an island-wide training curriculum for solar technicians.
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Wildfire Recovery – Oregon - EPA and FEMA worked together to help Oregon communities rebuild after the disastrous 2020 Labor Day fires. When disaster response began, EPA Sustainability Advisors attended meetings with FEMA representatives to identify long-term recovery needs. As a result, FEMA provided funding to EPA to provide on-the-ground technical assistance to five fire-impacted communities that requested help with water infrastructure, watershed recovery and restoring recreational economies in small towns.