Honolulu’s Department of Emergency Management (DEM) coordinates preparedness and response plans, programs, and initiatives with city, state, federal, private, corporate, and non-government entities. DEM was established in 2007 by Chapter 127A-5 of the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, and Section 6-103, page 34 of the Revised Charter of the City and County of Honolulu. Prior to 2007, the department was known as the Oʻahu Civil Defense Agency. 

Our mission is to develop, prepare for and assist in the implementation of emergency management plans and programs to protect and promote the public health, safety and welfare of the City during times of disaster or emergency.

In performing these functions, DEM conforms to the standards for local preparedness set forth by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by performing awareness, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, coordinated response and recovery activities, and planning. We direct our planning efforts at threats and hazards that may include natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, high surf, and high winds; human-caused disasters such as aircraft crashes, radiological incidents, marine and inland oil spills, and hazardous material releases; and acts or threats of terrorism, to include terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction.