News Flash • Town of Southampton Recognizes Inaugural Nation

The U.S. Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM-USA) announced the inaugural National Emergency Management Awareness Month, to be observed throughout August 2025. This initiative is intended to promote the field of emergency management. By engaging and educating the public about emergency management, National Emergency Management Awareness Month will help to build a deeper understanding of the profession and highlight the critical role emergency managers play in safeguarding communities and organizations.

Emergency management is a field that focuses on mitigating, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters and emergencies. Emergency managers develop plans for communities, evaluate risks, educate the public and coordinate preparedness, response and recovery operations that often involve many different agencies across many different disciplines.

“The Town’s first obligation is public safety, and our team is skilled at managing information and communications, creating order from chaos,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore. Moore also indicated that, “The Town of Southampton has prioritized emergency management over the years by creating the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management. We are proud to have a nationally accredited emergency manager and a very active presence in the emergency management community.”

Town Councilwoman Cyndi McNamara, who serves as Town Board liaison to the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management said, “I have witnessed our Town Emergency Manager, Ryan Murphy, and his staff skillfully and professionally respond to, and provide guidance during many emergencies since I have joined the Board. The coordination and relationship that exists between our Town Emergency Management Office and our Police Department, the local Fire and EMS agencies, the hospitals and our partners in the Villages, neighboring Towns, County, and State are second to none and have greatly enhanced our preparedness capabilities.”

Town Emergency Manager Ryan Murphy said, “Whether we are responding to COVID, flooding or wildfires, preparing for large-scale international events like the U.S. Open or Hampton Classic, monitoring storm development during Atlantic Hurricane Season, or participating in public preparedness presentations, there is always something being done from an emergency management perspective in the Town.”

For more information on National Emergency Management Awareness Month, please visit: https://www.iaem.org/Events/National-Emergency-Management-Awareness-Month