Brock Long, who has served in emergency   management at the state and federal levels specializing in hurricane planning and response, was appointed by Governor Bob Riley to serve as director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.

“I’m very honored to be joining the Riley administration and to be serving with the dedicated and capable staff of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency,” Long said.  “Alabama is subject to a wide variety  of natural hazards.  During the past few years, this agency has set the standard for working well with other state and federal agencies to prepare for these emergencies and respond to them quickly.  That level of excellence will not only continue, we will work to make it even better.”

Long previously served as FEMA’s Hurricane Program Manager for six southeastern states.  In that capacity, he oversaw FEMA’s hurricane emergency planning, preparedness, response and assistance in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.  Long also designed hurricane evacuation plans for those states.  For four consecutive years, he received awards from FEMA for outstanding achievement.

Long also previously served with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency as a statewide emergency planner and hurricane specialist, supervising emergency operations plans for 55 counties.  At the Georgia EMA, Long also focused on school safety, devising training and response plans for education officials in 70 counties.

Since February, Long has served as Southeast Regional Director for Beck Disaster Recovery, a company that specializes in emergency planning, disaster training and post-event recovery. 

He received a Master’s in Public Administration from Appalachian State University in 1999 and a degree in Criminal Justice, also from Appalachian State University, in 1997.