Response

What constitutes an emergency or a disaster? They can strike anytime or anywhere. A disaster can be a hurricane, a tsunami, a volcanic eruption, an earthquake, a tornado, a flood, a landslide, a fire or a hazardous chemical spill, any act of nature or an act of terrorism. It builds over days or weeks, or hits suddenly, without warning. Every year, millions of Americans face disaster, and its terrifying consequences.

Any emergency or disaster that overwhelms local and state resources to the extent they be come unable to effectively respond to the incident can be an incident which will require a "national" response.

When this occurs, a federal law, called the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, says the Federal Government can provide assistance to the states in response to a "Presidentially Declared" disaster.

Pursuant to the Stafford Act (Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended, by Public Law 106-390, October 30, 2000), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the lead federal agency charged with disaster preparedness and response efforts. FEMA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The Stafford Act essentially says that disaster preparedness & response is a partnership between the U.S. Government, the states, local government, and the private sector. Under the Stafford Act, As Amended, Congress specified the following:

"It is the intent of the Congress, by this Act, to provide an orderly and continuing means of assistance by the Federal Government to State and local governments in carrying out their responsibilities to alleviate the suffering and damage which result from such disasters by -- revising and broadening the scope of existing disaster relief programs; encouraging the development of comprehensive disaster preparedness and assistance plans, programs, capabilities, and organizations by the States and by local governments; achieving greater coordination and responsiveness of disaster preparedness and relief programs; encouraging individuals, States, and local governments to protect themselves by obtaining insurance coverage to supplement or replace governmental assistance; encouraging hazard mitigation measures to reduce losses from disasters, including development of land use and construction regulations; and providing Federal assistance programs for both public and private losses sustained in disasters [.] "

(Pub. L. 93-288, title I, § 101, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 143; Nov. 23, 1988, Pub. L. 100-707, title I, § 103(a), 102 Stat. 4689.) Click here for the complete text of The Stafford Act. In addition to The Stafford Act, the Federal government relies upon the "National Response Framework," to guide it in providing assistance to local governments and the states when disasters strike. Click here for the core document of the National Response Framework. The Stafford Act and NRF documents are in .pdf format. If you do not have the free Adobe Reader, you may download it by clicking on the icon on the left side of this page.  

The National Response Framework

Since the National Response Plan was released in 2004, FEMA says various “stakeholders” have commented that the document does not constitute a “plan,” but, rather more of a “framework” for guiding the federal response to disasters. As a result of these comments, DHS and FEMA have produced a new document entitled, the “National Response Framework,” or NRF, which has been finalized and released to the public. DHS/FEMA say the new document brings the title of the document and its stated purpose into “alignment.”

National Response Framework (NRF)

National Response Plan (NRP) - Prior to the NRF

To download a copy of the NRP documents click here

Federal, State, and Local Response Resources

Since the national policy is that response to disasters is a “partnership” between the Federal Government, the states, local government, and the private sector, you can find out more information about what the states, local government, and the private sector are doing by following the menu on the left by clicking on Response, Response Resources, then the topic you are interested in exploring. You can also click on the subject categories listed below.

National Response Resources

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Notice: This web site is copyrighted. The information and links contained herein are provided “as is,” and even though every effort has been made to assure their accuracy, no guarantee of accuracy is to be assumed, and is not claimed.

State Response Resources

County Response Resources

Non-Governmental Response Resources

National Response Plan Documents (Prior to implementation of the NRF)

NRP Base Document

NRP Quick Reference Guide

NRP Notice of Change

NRP - Full Text, Annexes

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