FEMA & Operation HOPE Renew Collaboration during September’s National Preparedness Month

WASHINGTON– The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and HOPE Coalition America (HCA), the emergency preparedness and financial recovery division of Operation HOPE, signed a memorandum of agreement yesterday renewing their 11-year collaboration to promote financial preparedness and support for recovery after emergencies and disasters. The renewal of this collaboration took place during National Preparedness Month, a nationwide, month-long effort hosted by the Ready Campaign, encouraging households, businesses, and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies.

“Being financially prepared before, during, and after a disaster can help families and communities recover faster when disaster strikes,” said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. “This memorandum of agreement will help to make our communities more financially secure and our nation more resilient.” 

The memorandum of agreement outlines a wide array of collaborative actions between FEMA and Operation HOPE, including efforts to provide pre-disaster financial education materials and information to communities, establishing and updating procedures to provide free financial guidance, and case management to survivors in the event of a major disaster or emergency, and efforts to recruit and train volunteers to provide financial preparation and recovery guidance to survivors. 

“Operation HOPE helps individuals, families and small businesses regain their financial health and economic stability after a natural disaster or national emergency,” said Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman, and CEO John Hope Bryant. “We’re pleased to renew our partnership with FEMA and assist their efforts to help Americans be better prepared for adverse events. As such, HOPE Inside locations nationwide will now include access and resources offering HCA services.”

Over the past several years, FEMA and HCA have leveraged resources from each other to help individuals and families prepare for disasters, or recover from disasters in the shortest possible time. FEMA has also partnered with Operation HOPE to encourage individuals, families and businesses to collect and safeguard the critical documents they will need to help them start the process through the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK). The EFFAK is a resource for financial preparedness, providing step-by-step instructions on the protection of personal assets and financial information to reduce vulnerability after a disaster. This simple tool can help Americans identify and organize key financial, insurance, medical, and legal records, and is available at www.ready.gov/financial-preparedness.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from and mitigate all hazards.

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