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Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Emergency Declarations: An Emergency Declaration can be declared for any occasion
or instance when the President determines federal assistance is needed. Emergency
Declarations supplement State and local efforts in providing emergency services, such
as the protection of lives, property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the
threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States. The total amount of assistance
provided for a single emergency may not exceed $5 million. If this amount is exceeded,
the President shall report to Congress.
• Major Declaration: The President can declare a Major Disaster Declaration for any
natural event, including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water,
tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or
drought, or, regardless of cause, fire, flood, or explosion, that the President believes has
caused damage of such severity that it is beyond the combined capabilities of state and
local governments to respond. A major disaster declaration provides a wide range of
federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure, including funds
for both emergency and permanent work.
Assistance Available for Major Declarations
Not all programs, however, are activated for every disaster. The determination of which
programs are authorized is based the types of assistance specified in the governor’s request
and on the needs identified during joint PDA and any subsequent PDAs. FEMA disaster
assistance programs are as follows:
• Individual Assistance - Assistance to individuals and households;
• Public Assistance - Assistance to state and local governments and certain private
nonprofit organizations for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-
damaged facilities; and
• Hazard Mitigation Assistance – Assistance to state and local governments and certain
private nonprofit organizations for actions taken to prevent or reduce long term risk to life
and property from natural hazards.
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“FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain,
and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.”
May 2011