The Department of Homeland Security announced the establishment of the National Advisory Council, which is being created to advise the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on all aspects of emergency management in an effort to ensure close coordination with all involved.

"The development of the National Advisory Council, along with the tireless efforts of the dedicated public servants at FEMA, will go hand-in-hand in setting the course to obtain our vision for a new FEMA," said FEMA Director David Paulison. "Together, we will lead our organization to become the nation's preeminent Emergency Management Agency."

The development of the council was set into motion by the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The Federal Register notice posted on Feb. 7, establishes the council and requests applications for membership.

Members of the council will be appointed by the administrator of FEMA, and will represent a geographic and significant cross section of officials from emergency management and law enforcement, and include homeland security directors, adjutants general, emergency response providers from state, local, and tribal governments, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations.

The council is being instituted to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of the federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery and mitigation for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other disasters. Specifically, the council will focus attention in the development and revision of the national preparedness goal, the national preparedness system, the National Incident Management System, the National Response Plan, and other related plans and strategies.