The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) includes the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Science Foundation (NSF), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). With the 2004 reauthorization of NEHRP (PL 108-360), NIST was established as the lead agency for NEHRP. In order to coordinate NEHRP activities among the four agencies as required by this reauthorization, NIST has established the NEHRP secretariat. This award is an interagency agreement and provides partial support for the NEHRP secretariat administered by NIST. The secretariat facilitates the intellectual merit of NEHRP through coordinating various interagency activities, updating the NEHRP strategic plan, publishing the annual NEHRP report, and facilitating the NEHRP Advisory Committee for Earthquake Hazards Reduction. The broader impact of NEHRP is to advance knowledge and promote innovation for earthquake loss reduction for all U.S. citizenry. Through NEHRP, FEMA, NIST, NSF, and USGS work together to improve understanding, characterization, and assessment of hazards and vulnerabilities; improve model building codes and land use practices; reduce risks through post-earthquake investigations and education; improve design and construction techniques; improve the capacity of government at all levels and the private sector to reduce and manage earthquake risk; and accelerate the application of research results into practice.
