This document is a self-assessment tool for use by the chief administrator of a local government. It originated from research conducted in the late 1970's for the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, a forerunner of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Research consisted of reviewing the operations of more than 300 local government emergency management agencies, and developing several dozen on-site case studies. The research also disclosed 20 key characteristics of an effective local government emergency management organizational structure. The document claims the characteristics are as relevant now as they were 25 years ago and they are included in the manual. Each chapter on a characteristic is organized as follows: a brief description; a potential problem which could occur in the absence of the characteristic; and procedures for analyzing the characteristic (worksheets included). The manual also includes a Manager's Checklist for use in evaluating a community's readiness to respond to a disaster.