As a collaborative partnership between local governments, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the private sector, NVERS enhances the ability of public safety agencies and partner organizations to effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and other major emergencies. NVERS helps build emergency management and homeland security capacity to respond to these emergencies through pre-incident knowledge sharing, training and exercises, operational coordination, priority-setting, and resource acquisition. To support the approximately 2.6 million residents across the 25 towns, cities, and counties of Northern Virginia, NVERS coordinates closely with its neighbors and partners through the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) in the District of Columbia and Maryland. NVERS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.