In the context of the early years of the Cold War, as U.S. forces were engaged in a war against communist North Korea and the country braced for a potential attack by the Soviet Union, civil defense became a significant focus at both the federal and state levels. In 1951, a year after the U.S. government passed the Federal Civil Defense Act, New York State crafted its own legislation known as the Defense Emergency Act (Chapter 784, and amended by Chapters 785 and 786). The law established the State Civil Defense Commission to prepare the state and its citizens in case of attack, and to coordinate statewide defense planning efforts. The commission was transferred to the Department of Transportation in 1971 (Chapter 73), and some of its functions were dispersed to other agencies. In 1973 (Chapter 931), the commission was transferred to the Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA), with its former functions reinstated and with the additional responsibility for coordinating statewide disaster planning. By the late 1970s, lawmakers had recognized the need to not only broaden disaster preparedness from civil defense to include all man-made and natural disasters, but also to incorporate other government and private entities in planning efforts. In this vein, the Disaster Preparedness Commission (Executive Law, Art. 2-B; L. 1978, Ch. 640, 641) was formed within the Executive Department to prepare and review disaster preparedness plans; coordinate state disaster response efforts with those of the federal government, local governments, and private agencies; and provide for "periodic briefings, drills, exercises or other means" to ensure that all officials were prepared to carry out their responsibilities during an emergency. Article 2-B also provided the groundwork for the formation of the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), which in 1983 took over the disaster preparedness functions previously handled by DMNA (Executive Order No. 32). SEMO was designed as the administrative arm of the Disaster Preparedness Commission, and its mission was to provide emergency management services to state agency, local, and private sector entities. These services included statewide disaster planning, training and exercise activities, as well as response, recovery, and mitigation assistance. SEMO did not possess its own response force, but rather coordinated the resources of multiple agencies when responding to disasters such as the World Trade Center attack in 2001. Through SEMO, New York City received assistance from 5,000 National Guard troops and 500 state troopers, as well as from federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation personnel, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), and crisis counselors. SEMO also distributed state disaster public assistance funds to surviving families and local governments affected by the 9/11 attacks. In 2010, the work of the State Emergency Management Office was incorporated into the new Office of Emergency Management within the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, a merger of the offices of Emergency Management (SEMO), Homeland Security, Fire Prevention and Control, the Statewide Interoperability Program, and Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination.
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The Office of Emergency Management (OEM), formerly known as the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO), is responsible for coordinating all activities necessary to protect New York's communities from natural, technological, and man-made disasters, as well as other emergencies that threaten the state. To fulfill its mission, OEM coordinates emergency management services with federal, state, and local government agencies, activating Emergency Operations Centers whenever a disaster is declared. OEM assists local governments, volunteer organizations, and private sector industry through emergency management programs designed to educate these organizations on such issues as hazard identification, loss prevention, responses during emergencies, and disaster recovery assistance. In addition, OEM receives and disburses federal and state public assistance funds, including funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to state and local agencies and other eligible applicants. OEM provides administrative and program support to the Disaster Preparedness Commission, a body of the Executive Department that oversees the state's emergency management program. State responses to emergencies are governed by Article 2-B of the New York State Executive Law, the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), and Executive Order No. 26 (1996) that established the National Interagency Incident Management System - Incident Command System as the state command and control system for emergencies.
