Remaining 2026 dates to note:

October 2026

• October 23, 2026 — 2027 Virginia Emergency Management Symposium speaker deadline

• October 31, 2026 — 2027 NYSEMA speaker deadline

December 2026

• Dec. 1–2, 2026, Public Safety Innovation Summit, Orlando, FL

 

January

Themes:

• Winter safety and severe weather awareness (typical winter focus)

• New Year readiness resolutions (e.g., update plans, kits, and communication lists)

• Human Trafficking Prevention Month

• National Mentoring Month

​

Events: Focus: New-year preparedness, leadership transitions, federal and state policy priorities.

• Jan. 1, 2027: Start of the calendar year and new state legislative cycles in many jurisdictions. (Recurring)

• Jan. 3, 2027: Scheduled beginning of the 120th U.S. Congress, subject to applicable convening arrangements. (To verify)

• Jan. 18–21, 2027: NENA Standards & Best Practices Conference, New Orleans, LA (Confirmed)

• Jan. 25–29, 2027: Florida Emergency Preparedness Conference — Palmetto, FL (To verify)

• Jan. 27–30, 2027: National Tornado and Severe Weather Conference — San Antonio, TX (Confirmed)

• January 2027, date TBD: National emergency management legislative and policy agenda releases. (To verify)

• January 2027, date TBD: Congressional legislative calendars and committee assignments for the 120th Congress (To verify)
   

February

Themes:

• Cold weather sheltering, home safety, and power outage preparedness

• Heart health and emergency response basics

• Black History Month

• American Heart Month

 

Events: Focus: State emergency management priorities, legislative engagement, intergovernmental relationships.

• Feb. 1, 2027: Statutory deadline for submission of the President's FY2028 budget request (Recurring)

• Feb. 1–5, 2027: South Carolina Emergency Management Association Annual Conference — Greenville, SC (Confirmed)

• Feb. 9–11, 2027: New York State Emergency Management Association Annual Conference — Syracuse, NY (Confirmed)

• Feb. 21–24, 2027: NENA 9-1-1 Goes to Washington, Arlington, VA (To verify)

• Feb. 22–25, 2027: IAEM-USA Region 6 Symposium — Conroe/The Woodlands, Texas. (Confirmed)

• February 2027, date TBD: National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting — location TBD. (To verify)

• February 2027, date TBD: NEMA-related legislative outreach and congressional engagement opportunities. (To verify)

• February–March 2027, dates TBD: Congressional hearings on the FY2028 budget request, including DHS and FEMA (To verify)

The IAEM Region 6 symposium is already accepting registrations, so could be a useful early-year professional engagement opportunity.
 

March

Themes:

• Severe weather awareness (spring storms and tornado basics)

• Family disaster planning refresh

• Women’s History Month

• World Water Day

 

Events: Focus: Severe weather, federal policy, disaster funding, emergency management partnerships.

• March 2–3, 2027: Natural Disasters Expo USA — Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL. (Confirmed)

• March 2–4, 2027: Michigan Interoperable Communications Conference — Muskegon, MI (Confirmed)

• March 8–11, 2027: Virginia Emergency Management Symposium — Kalahari Resort, Spotsylvania County, VA (Confirmed)

• March 8–11, 2027: International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) — Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

• March 14–17, 2027: Discover Resilience 2027 — Huntington Beach, CA (Confirmed)

• March 22–25, 2027: NEMA Mid-Year Forum — Washington, DC. (Confirmed)

• March 22, 2027: World Water Day. (Recurring)

• March 2027, date TBD: Big City Emergency Managers meetings or professional convenings. (To verify)

 

Highlighting the NEMA Mid-Year Forum because of its Washington location and opportunities for state-federal engagement.

March 2027: Severe Weather Preparedness Week campaigns vary by state; check state emergency management agencies. (To verify)
 

April

Themes:

• Flood and severe weather preparation

• National Financial Literacy Month

• Citizen preparedness and community planning (spring drills)

• Earth Day

 

Events: Focus: Community resilience, flood preparedness, emergency communications, public engagement.

• April 5–6, 2027: Lehigh Valley Emergency Services Conference — DeSales University, Pennsylvania (Confirmed)

• April 7–8, 2027: EMS on the Hill Day — Washington, DC (Confirmed)

• April 11-17: National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, celebrated every second week of April (Confirmed)

• April 12–15, 2027: Emergency Management Association of Georgia Summit — Jekyll Island, GA (Confirmed)

• April 15, 2027: Congressional target for completing the federal budget resolution (Recurring)

• April 22, 2027: Earth Day. (Recurring)

• April 2027, date TBD: National emergency communications and public safety conferences. (To verify)

• April 2027, date TBD: State emergency management association conferences and legislative sessions. (To verify)
   

May

Themes:

• Hurricane preparedness

• National Hurricane Preparedness Week

• Older Americans Month

• Mental Health Awareness Month

• National Pet Month

 

Events: Focus: Hurricane preparedness, warning systems, public safety communication, disaster readiness.

• May 1, 2027: National Wildfire Preparedness Day (Recurring)

• May 10–14, 2027: National Hydrologic Warning Council Conference — Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte, NC. (Confirmed)

• May 24–27, 2027: National Hurricane Conference — Puerto Rico Convention Center, San Juan, PR. (Confirmed)

• May, 2027, dates TBD: National Hurricane Preparedness Week. (To verify)

• May–June 2027, dates TBD: Congressional appropriations hearings and markups affecting DHS and FEMA (To verify)

 

The National Hurricane Conference's 2027 theme, From Recovery to Resilience: 10 Years After Maria, could provide a strong opportunity for ProjectEM to contribute to conversations about lessons learned and the emergency management profession.

 

June

Themes:

• Heat safety

• National Safety Month

• LGBTQ+ Pride Month

• Caribbean-American Heritage Month

 

Events: Focus: Hurricane season, extreme heat, emergency operations, interagency coordination.

• June 1, 2027: Atlantic hurricane season begins. (Recurring)

• June 1–4, 2027: Texas Emergency Management Conference — Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX (Confirmed)

• June 2027, date TBD: National emergency management and resilience professional conferences (To verify)

• June 13–16, 2027: Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop — Broomfield, CO (Confirmed)

• June 26–July 1, 2027: NENA Conference & Expo, Nashville, TN (To verify)

• Throughout June 2027: National Safety Month (Recurring)

 

July

Themes:

• Fireworks and summer safety

• Family evacuation plan tests

• Independence Day safety

 

Events: Focus: Disaster readiness, state leadership, wildfire season, summer hazards.

• July 4, 2027: Independence Day. (Recurring)

• July 12–16, 2027: Esri User Conference — San Diego, CA (To verify)

• July 25–28, 2027: APCO Annual Conference & Expo, Anaheim, CA (Confirmed)

• July 26–29, 2027: National Homeland Security Conference — Baltimore, MD (To verify)

• July 2027, date TBD: National Governors Association Summer Meeting — location TBD. (To verify)

• July 2027, date TBD: Big City Emergency Managers convenings or related urban emergency management events. (To verify)

• July 2027, date TBD: Mid-session review of the President's budget (To verify)

 

 

August

Themes:

• IAEM National Emergency Management Awareness Month

• Back-to-school preparedness

• Power outage recovery planning

 

Events: Focus: Emergency management professional recognition, back-to-school preparedness, community resilience.

• Aug. 18–20, 2027: Fire-Rescue International — Anaheim, CA (To verify)

• Aug. 29, 2027: 22nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (2005); potential lessons-learned editorial opportunity. (Recurring)

• Throughout August 2027: IAEM National Emergency Management Awareness Month (To verify)

• August 2027, date TBD: State and regional emergency management conferences. (To verify)

• August 2027, dates TBD: Congressional district and state work periods (To verify)

 

September

Themes:

• National Preparedness Month

 

Events: Focus: National preparedness, disaster lessons learned, professional leadership, public engagement.

• Throughout September 2027: National Preparedness Month. (Recurring)

• Sept. 11, 2027: Anniversary of the September 11 attacks. (Recurring)

• Sept. 13–15, 2027: Vision FirstNet Users Summit — South Point Hotel, Las Vegas, NV (To verify)

• Sept. 20, 2027: 10th anniversary of Hurricane Maria landfall in Puerto Rico (2017); potential recovery and resilience retrospective. (Recurring)

• Sept. 30, 2027: End of federal FY2027; annual appropriations deadline (Recurring)

• September 2027, date TBD: National preparedness campaign events and associated outreach opportunities. (To verify)

 

October

Themes:

• Fire safety and fall safety campaigns

• National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

• National Disability Employment Awareness Month

• Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Oct. 11, 2027

• Hispanic Heritage Month (through October 15)

 

Events: Focus: Emergency management leadership, mitigation, resilience, cybersecurity.

• Oct. 1, 2027: Beginning of federal FY2028 (Recurring)

• Oct. 3–6, 2027: NEMA Annual Forum — Providence, RI. (Confirmed)

• Oct. 6–7, 2027: Emergency Services Show — Birmingham, United Kingdom (Confirmed)

• Oct. 11, 2027: Indigenous Peoples’ Day observances (jurisdiction-dependent); corrects the Oct. 12 date in the themes. (Recurring)

• Oct. 13, 2027: International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. (Recurring)

• Throughout October 2027: Cybersecurity Awareness Month. (Recurring)

• October 2027 date TBD: Big City Emergency Managers events. (To verify)

 

Oct. 9, 2027: Louisiana gubernatorial primary; runoff/general election date to verify against the Louisiana Secretary of State’s updated schedule. (To verify)

 

November

Themes:

• Critical Infrastructure Security & Resilience Month

• National Native American Heritage Month

• Thanksgiving safety

• Veterans Day

 

Events: Focus: Emergency management professional development, national policy, critical infrastructure.

• Nov. 2, 2027: General Election Day in jurisdictions holding 2027 elections; state and local contests vary. (Recurring)

• Nov. 2, 2027: Gubernatorial elections in Kentucky and Mississippi; Louisiana holds its gubernatorial election separately in October (see October entry) (To verify)

• Nov. 12–18, 2027: IAEM Annual Conference & EMEX 2027 — Colorado Springs, CO. (Confirmed)

• Nov. 30, 2027: Atlantic hurricane season ends. (Recurring)

• Throughout November 2027: Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month. (Recurring)

 

Nov. 2027, date TBD: Annual review of major disaster lessons and changes in preparedness policy; proposed ProjectEM editorial planning opportunity. (To verify)

 

December

Themes:

• Winter weather

• Holiday messaging

• Resolutions

 

Events: Focus: Year-end policy reviews, lessons learned, professional recognition, planning for 2028.

• December 2027 date TBD: Congressional year-end legislative activity and federal funding decisions, dependent on the legislative calendar. (To verify)

• December 2027 date TBD: ProjectEM annual review and next-year strategic planning — proposed internal milestone.

• Throughout December 2027: Winter weather preparedness and year-end readiness messaging.