Russia, US Establish Information Exchange for Emergency Situations

MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry (EMERCOM) and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have agreed on the exchange of information on large-scale natural and man-made disasters, EMERCOM reported Friday.

“The exchange of information between crisis centers of Russia’s EMERCOM and the FEMA with respect to emergency situations on the territory of the United States and the Russian Federation has begun,” the statement said.

The parties also agreed on cooperating to protect their populations and infrastructures from asteroid and comet hazards and on rescue work at mining facilities.

Earlier it was reported that the US Geological Survey (USGS) and the EMERCOM reached agreements on the monitoring and prediction of climate-related disasters, including earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and fires.

In 1996, the United States and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Emergency Management.