Public and Private Professionals Working Together in Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response

Who We Are

The Metropolitan Emergency Managers’ Association, known as MEMA, is an organization whose members are involved in emergency preparedness and disaster response.  MEMA members come from a variety of public, and private, and volunteer organizations.  The common thread linking members is the responsibility each one has for planning, warning, and responding to disaster.  Members cooperate and share ideas to help their communities prepare for and respond to disasters.  The individual members come from businesses or organizations that operate or are located in the nine county Twin Cities metropolitan area.  The counties served by MEMA include Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Isanti, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington.

Why is There a Need?

The electronic and print media bring disaster reports into our homes all too often.  Each disaster is in someone’s community, perhaps our own.  As the Twin Cities metro community grows, so does our risk of disaster.  The potential for disaster comes from a variety of hazards:

Natural Hazards:  Tornado, flood, earthquake, winter storm, wildfire, major epidemic, and drought.

Technological Hazards:  Hazardous material spill, major transportation accident, radiological accident, and pipeline explosion.

Criminal Act:  Bomb, mass shooting, facility takeover.

National Security:  Terrorism, civil disturbance, disruption of essential services, enemy attack, weapons of mass destruction.

Disasters cross geographic boundaries and affect all sectors of the community.  Coordination and cooperation between government, private, and nonprofit organizations are essential in all four phases of emergency management.

What We Do

 Emergency Planning

Directory of Local Emergency Managers

Links and Resources

Contact MEMA

Membership Info