PPD-8: Announcing the National Preparedness Goal

As part of the implementation of Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8), we are pleased to announce the release of the first-ever National Preparedness Goal. To summarize, the goal is: 

To have a secure and resilient Nation with the capabilities required across the whole community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk. 

You can read the full 26 page document here.

The Goal identifies the core capabilities and capability targets necessary to advance our national preparedness.  It builds extensively on the prior work of many stakeholder groups from around the nation, draws upon lessons learned from large-scale and catastrophic events, and represents input from all stakeholders. 

It also recognizes what many of you have known for some time – as we work to build a more prepared nation, we cannot only look at the role that government plays, we must also work with the entire community – both the public and private sectors, faith-based and non-profit organizations, and most importantly the public. 

Now that the National Preparedness Goal is complete, we will continue our work on the additional requirements of PPD-8:

• A National Preparedness System Description;
• A series of National Frameworks and Federal Interagency Operational Plans;
• A National Preparedness Report; and
• A Campaign to Build and Sustain Preparedness 

We look forward to continuing to work with all of our stakeholders and partners as we continue to move forward on these efforts. 

The National Preparedness System description is due November 24, 2011, and again, we’ll ask for your valuable input, so stay tuned for how you can participate.  Thank you for your commitment to our national preparedness. 

For more information visit: www.fema.gov/ppd8.