X 2-1

Unit Two

How Communities
and States Deal with
Emergencies and
Disasters
uring a flood such as

D Centerville’s, many
important activities
must happen quickly and
efficiently. Among these are rescue, caring
for the injured, keeping people away from
In this unit, you will learn about:

X Local and State response, recovery, and

mitigation activities.
dangerous areas, assessing the situation to
X Local and State activities during the period
see what help is needed, and opening
following an emergency or disaster.
shelters for people displaced from their
homes. As all this is occurring, phones are
X The declaration of an emergency at the
swamped with people asking for
State and local level.
information. Without a good plan for such
a situation, there would be no hope of
getting the job done effectively.

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-2

Fortunately, many local areas and States have developed emergency operations plans that
help them respond and recover effectively. Their roles, as well as those of voluntary agencies
whose invaluable efforts supplement theirs, are defined in these plans. When an emergency or
disaster occurs, these plans are put into action to provide essential services to the community.
The following information explains the types of activities performed by local government,
State government, and voluntary agencies to deliver this assistance.

LOCAL RESPONSE AND RECOVERY ACTIVITIES

Local governments are the first line of defense against emergencies and disasters and are
primarily responsible for managing the response to and recovery from those events. At the
local government level, the primary responsibility for protecting citizens belongs to local
elected officials such as mayors, city councils, and boards of commissioners. When a local
government receives warning that an emergency could be imminent, its first priority is to
alert and warn citizens and take whatever actions are needed to minimize damage and protect
life and property. If necessary, it may order an evacuation. When an emergency or disaster
does occur, fire and police units,
emergency medical personnel,
and rescue workers rush to
damaged areas to provide aid.
After this initial response, the
local government must work to
ensure public order and security.
Vital services such as water,
power, communications,
transportation, shelter, and
medical care must be provided,
and debris removal must begin.
Since disasters often disrupt water supply lines, local
governments must ensure that residents receive drinking water. Public and private utility
company crews, along with other
emergency teams, must be on the job to restore essential services. The local government
coordinates its efforts with voluntary agencies who assist individuals and families in
need.

A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 X 2-3

When a local government responds to and recovers from a disaster, the levels of activities
and the type of resources required are determined by several factors:

X The speed of onset of the emergency.

X The potential need for evacuation.
X The magnitude of the situation.
X The projected duration of the event.
X The extent of the threat to citizens.

Short-Term and Long-Term Recovery

In the aftermath of an emergency or disaster, many citizens will have specific needs that
must be met before they can return to their pre-disaster lives. Typically, there will be a need
for services such as these:

X Assessment of the extent and severity of damages to homes and other property.
X Restoration of services generally available in communities—water, food, and
medical assistance.
X Repair of damaged homes and property.
X Professional counseling when the sudden changes resulting from the emergency
have resulted in mental anguish and the inability to cope.

Local governments help individuals and families recover by ensuring that these services are
available and by seeking additional resources if the community needs them. Also, when an
emergency occurs, the local government uses all available media to publicize the types of
assistance available and how to access them.

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-4

Recovery occurs in two phases—short-term and long-term. Short-term recovery measures

are those that are intended to return the community to minimum operating standards. Long-
term recovery are those steps taken to return to previous conditions (to the extent possible),
combined with improvements that will better
protect the community from future disasters.
Each phase marks a transition that will enable
the community to return to normal and create a
safer condition for the future.

Short-term recovery could include making

houses habitable so that families can move out
of temporary shelters and return to their own
homes. Short-term recovery also could involve
restoring essential services so people can return
to work. At the community level, this part of
recovery may require completing repairs to
roads and bridges so traffic can start moving
again or restoring water and power to areas in
Following a disaster, repairing major need, especially to important public structures
roads is a high priority among short-term such as hospitals and major places of
recovery tasks. employment. In Centerville, for example, short-
term recovery would include all of these
activities, with priority given to restoring services in public structures and major places of
employment. The restoration of major roads will be given priority to help people return to
their homes and work safely; many minor routes may have to wait for repairs.

Long-term recovery may occur over a period of months or years, depending on the severity
of the emergency or disaster. It often involves extensive repair and rebuilding. The
disruption and destruction to the community can be so great that some businesses may never
reopen or may have to relocate. Although a community may appear to be “open for
business” a few weeks after an emergency or disaster, it may be years after a severe disaster
before the community returns to pre-disaster conditions.

A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 X 2-5

As part of the recovery, communities should consider strategies that would lessen the effects
of a similar event in the future. These strategies, called mitigation measures, may have helped
lessen the effects in the Centerville flood scenario. During the rebuilding process, residents
could raise their furnaces to higher floors, business owners could consider storing inventory
in areas above the flood level, and hospitals could elevate and move generators and other
critical facilities to protected buildings. In the case of severe and repeated flood damage,
residents might consider relocating damaged structures to a safer area. The community of
Centerville could begin enforcing more stringent building codes and floodplain ordinances
that help structures withstand flooding.

In addition to the self-help efforts of individuals and families and the efforts of local
governments in emergencies, voluntary agencies are a central part of the effective response
to, and recovery from, an emergency.

The Role of Voluntary Agencies

When most Americans think about disasters, they picture volunteers from agencies such as
the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army providing a helping hand to the victims.
Voluntary agencies are an essential part of any disaster relief effort, providing critical
assistance with food, shelter, clothing, household items, medical expenses, clean-up, repairs,
and rebuilding. These agencies are typically involved in all the phases of emergency
management (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery).

Some voluntary agencies are available to assist in emergencies in all communities; others
may assist only in disasters that affect specific regional areas. Voluntary agencies assist
whether or not there is a Presidential declaration, coordinating with each other and with
government officials to meet a community’s disaster needs.

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-6

See Appendix B, page B-1,

for a list of voluntary
agencies that are active in
disasters and the services
they provide.

Requesting State
Assistance

If the situation warrants, the

community may have to reach
In a flood such as Centerville’s, the State might be asked beyond its own boundaries for
to help rescue stranded people and farm animals. additional resources. Mutual
aid agreements should already
be in place to facilitate
provision of assistance by neighboring jurisdictions. In our flood scenario, however, these
agreements will not result in significant added resources because other communities are also
overwhelmed.

In such a case, the local government would have to appeal to the State for assistance.
Centerville would seek assistance in transportation and rescue, for example. Local officials
will submit a request to the Governor providing specific information about the situation and
its effects and specifying the type of assistance needed. The State emergency management
office and other offices involved in providing disaster assistance carefully assess this request
and advise the Governor on appropriate actions.

Periodically, local officials send reports to the State that convey important information about
the types and levels of assistance that might be required to assist the people in the impacted
area. A typical situation report would contain information about the magnitude and severity
of damages associated with the disaster event. Deaths, injuries, property damages, and
locations in which losses occurred would be described. As additional information becomes
available, updated reports are provided.

A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 X 2-7

Generally, State emergency officials work very closely with local officials to ensure that
required documentation is included in situation reports. If a request were to be made
subsequently for a Presidential declaration (as will be explained in a later unit), the
information contained in these reports would be of critical importance. The documentation
of the local government’s level of effort in responding to the event and the location of areas
of damage are especially important.

STATE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY ACTIVITIES

All states have laws that describe the responsibilities of State government in
emergencies and disasters. These laws provide governors and State agencies
with the authority to plan for and carry out the necessary actions to respond to
emergencies and recover from their effects. Typically, State emergency
management legislation describes the duties and powers of the Governor, whose
authority typically includes the power to declare a state of emergency and to
decide when to terminate this declaration.

Many of the specific responsibilities to carry out the provisions of the State emergency
management legislation are generally delegated to the State emergency management
organization. Virtually all States have emergency management organizations, although their
name and structure may vary from State to State. Typical names include office of emergency
services or division of emergency management. Regardless of the title or location of the
emergency management organization in the structure of the State government, its
responsibilities are the same—to prepare for emergencies and to coordinate the activation
and use of the resources controlled by the State government when they are needed to help
local governments respond to, and recover from, emergencies and disasters.

The State emergency management organization, in its coordinating role, is involved in

virtually all serious emergencies or disasters. Typically, this organization is responsible for
receiving reports from the local area. Based on these and other data, emergency management
officials work in consultation with other agency representatives and members of the

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-8

Governor’s staff to determine what

types of resources and personnel
should be deployed to the impacted
area. Using procedures specified in
the State plan, the State emergency
management organization will
coordinate deployment of State
personnel and resources to the
impacted areas.

However, it is not necessary for a

A Governor may declare a State emergency in order to Governor to declare an emergency or
facilitate the deployment of State resources to a disaster before agency personnel and
disaster area. resources are deployed to monitor
situations and provide information.
Personnel and equipment are typically used to monitor situations in which an area’s water
supply may become contaminated or when large-scale chemical leakage is possible. State
agency personnel would generally be involved in early inspection activities and in making
reports back to the emergency management office and their own agencies for the purpose of
determining additional assistance that may be needed.

When an emergency is declared, the Governor (or emergency management agency official
acting for the Governor) can mobilize resources to supplement their own supplies,
equipment, and personnel. In a situation like that of Centerville, for example, in which large
populated areas are threatened by the continued rise in floodwaters, the State could assist in
evacuation of the threatened area by prescribing evacuation routes and helping to control
entries and departures from the disaster area.

State and local government also may regulate the movement of persons inside the affected
area; persons can be prevented from returning to buildings rendered uninhabitable or unsafe
by the disaster itself. The exercise of these powers could become necessary not only to
protect the residents of the affected community but also to make the work of the emergency
response personnel safer and more efficient.

A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 X 2-9

In many States, governors can suspend State laws or local ordinances if it is

determined that the law in question will
restrict or prohibit efforts to relieve
human suffering caused by the
situation. In some States, after a State
emergency declaration, the Governor
may establish economic control over
resources and services such as food,
wages, clothing, and shelter in the
affected area.

Under a State emergency declaration,

governors typically are empowered to
mobilize the National Guard and direct
its efforts. Generally, they are granted
the power to use all available State
Under a State emergency declaration, Governors typically
resources needed to respond effectively are empowered to mobilize the National Guard and direct
and efficiently to the event. The its efforts.
Governor is able to draw upon the
resources, expertise, and knowledge of
State agencies as needed to assist in the effort. In many disasters, the States can provide
technical assistance and resources that would not be available to most local officials within
their own communities.

An affected State also is able to request mutual aid from other States. Participating States
agree to provide personnel, equipment, and supplies to another State in need through the
Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) or a similar arrangement. Mutual aid
enables States to draw upon a common pool of resources with minimal Federal involvement.

Under a State emergency declaration, the Governor may also have the power to use or
commandeer private property for the purpose of responding to the disaster. Emergency
management acts generally grant the Governor the power to use, or authorize the use of,
contingency and emergency funds in the event of an emergency. In some States, the
Governor also may reallocate funds when designated funds are exhausted.

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-10

Types of Assistance Provided

Typically, there are two types of State response and recovery assistance.

X State personnel and resources can be activated and deployed to assist in the response and
recovery effort directly (or to manage it, in some instances).

Examples of this type of activity include

evacuation management, securing the affected
area, and search and rescue.

X State personnel and equipment can be

deployed to perform a variety of monitoring
and inspection activities that can ensure the
safety of inhabitants and response personnel in
the area.

Examples of these types of activities include

the use of officials to monitor threats of
chemical and other fires or to monitor the
water supply and ensure its continued safety.
State officials may periodically inspect
State officials may inspect structures
such as dams, levees, and bridges to structures such as dams, levees, and bridges to
determine whether repairs are needed. monitor their condition and determine whether
they are safe for continued use.

If necessary, the State may undertake emergency repairs (such as to restore bridges that are part
of an essential route).

A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 X 2-11

State assistance to communities

is provided by many different
State agencies. Some key
agencies and types of services
they provide are described
below.

Department of Public
Safety

In many major floods—such as

the one depicted in the State public safety officials may assist in search and rescue
scenario—bridges often are operations.
damaged, and very heavy debris
may clog up the river, creating a more serious threat to surrounding areas. Heavy cranes and
other equipment, along with the expertise and skill needed to use the equipment, can often be
provided by State transportation or highway agencies. Engineers employed by transportation
departments also have the knowledge and skills to conduct accurate damage assessments of
bridges and other structures. In addition, they can suggest mitigation methods so that
reconstruction includes added protection for future disasters.

State public safety personnel can assist in law enforcement for disaster areas, traffic control
(especially in evacuation and for incoming assistance), security (such as to protect evacuated
homes and businesses from looting and further damage), and search and rescue. The fire
marshal’s office can deploy personnel to investigate structural fires and to assist in assessing
the safety of structures that may be at risk from fires.

Public health units within the public safety department often must perform tasks such as
water supply monitoring, food supply inspection, and communicable disease control. State
specialists also may assist in documenting (videotaping) damage.

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-12

Social Service Agencies

State social service agencies can provide or fund personnel and resources to assist in the
management of shelters and to provide assistance to individuals and families. This can
include counseling to alleviate stress, which, experience has demonstrated, must be handled
appropriately in the early phases of a disaster to minimize later negative effects of the
experience. If there is a Presidential declaration, these are usually the agencies that provide
administrative services to manage the Individuals and Households Program. These agencies
also are usually assigned to assist voluntary agencies such as the American Red Cross in
their efforts to provide relief to disaster victims.

The National Guard

In a flood as serious as the one described in the scenario, the State National Guard could
send personnel who could be assigned a wide range of duties. They would assist in flood-
fighting activities such as sandbagging, evacuation, and search and rescue. The National
Guard is frequently assigned to maintain order and civil control and to provide supplemental
law enforcement and fire suppression assistance.

The National Guard units also have other valuable resources and equipment that can be
used: trucks, helicopters, heavy tools and equipment, portable medical facilities, mobile
kitchens, and communications equipment.

Public Health Agencies

State public health agencies perform several important functions in response and recovery.
These agencies can make available: physicians, nurses, epidemiologists, medical
technicians, and others. Equipment and facilities also are provided.

A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 X 2-13

Monitoring water supplies,

inspecting food supplies,
controlling communicable
diseases, providing and
allocating medication in
disaster-impacted areas,
monitoring health care
facilities, and identifying
victims are among the more
important response and
short-term recovery activities
that can be provided by, or
coordinated through, State
public health agencies. State natural resource agencies may be able to contribute
expertise when natural resources are threatened by fire.

Department of Agriculture

The State’s department of agriculture will generally assist when damage to farms and ranches
is involved. It often carries out measures to protect the long-term food supply of the affected
area. State agriculture departments also inventory food resources and may help procure food
for disaster victims. Longer term assistance provided by agriculture departments includes
advising farmers and agribusinesses in mitigation planning and recovering from damages to
facilities, crops, and livestock.

Natural Resource Agencies

Natural resource agencies have several types of expertise useful to an effective response,
including fire suppression and the protection of fish and game resources. Natural resource
agencies may have personnel available to assist in conducting damage assessments. Also,
these agencies advise local officials and help them monitor and protect natural resources such
as fish and game, as well as wildlands and other protected areas. Environmental protection
agencies may assist in similar ways to help local officials preserve and protect various
environmentally sensitive areas and to plan mitigation measures for further disasters.

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-14

They can also provide technical expertise to help agencies respond appropriately to hazardous
materials spills that could result from primary events such as floods.

Other Resources

Other State agencies have resources and expertise helpful to local communities stricken by
disaster. For example, labor departments can assist with immediate safety inspections.
Education departments can help maintain education services. State management and budget
agencies can assist in locating and establishing recovery centers and field operations offices.

Depending upon the severity of the disaster and the damages, some agencies— such as offices
of management and budget, labor, employment security, commerce, and treasury—become
more substantially involved in providing assistance for the community’s recovery. For
example, treasury departments can conduct post-emergency audits to document expenditures
by local governments. In some States, they also provide tax advice for disaster victims.

Some State general services agencies can help identify and make available State facilities and
related equipment to be used for shelter, as well as for the warehousing of food supplies or
other resources.

In most States, commerce departments assist in licensing motor carriers and other vehicles
needed to transport supplies. They also work to expedite and prioritize the recovery of utilities
to the affected areas. Personnel from these agencies also may be involved in damage
assessment work.

Finally, a key activity of State emergency offices is to review and critique the State’s effort,
with the objective of strengthening the State’s response in the event of another disaster.

A CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO DISASTER ASSISTANCE

 X 2-15

Requesting Federal Assistance

What if the available resources and personnel of both the local and State governments are
inadequate to meet the response and recovery needs created by the disaster? The local
government or State officials may at any time request assistance directly from a number of
Federal agencies, most of which can provide some form of direct assistance without a
Presidential declaration. When a disaster situation is beyond the capabilities of local and State
resources, even as supplemented by private and voluntary agencies and by direct assistance
from Federal agencies, the Governor may ask the President to declare a major disaster. If
granted, supplemental disaster assistance is made available to help individuals, families, and
the community.

THE ROLE OF PLANNING IN DISASTER ASSISTANCE

The ability of communities and States to

effectively respond and recover from
disasters depends largely on actions taken TERM TO REMEMBER
before the disaster. Communities and
States should develop response, recovery, Emergency Operations Plan
and hazard mitigation plans. Officials plan or
what roles different organizations would Emergency Response Plan
have in a disaster and how they would
coordinate with each other to avoid A document that contains information
duplication of benefits or confusion. on the actions that may be taken by a
governmental jurisdiction to protect
people and property before, during, and
Response Planning after a disaster

The community’s ability to respond to an

emergency begins with the development of a local emergency operations plan.

Each community’s plan may include a list of resources the community would use for various
types of emergencies. In a flood such as Centerville’s, for example, the local government
will contact technical experts who can assess the condition of the flood protection structures
and analyze the implications of their condition for flood control. The community’s

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-16

advance planning should also identify what routes could be used to evacuate people quickly
in the event of a disaster. In Centerville’s case, since the area has always been vulnerable to
flooding, these would be pre-selected to facilitate movement. Shelter locations would also be
identified as a preparedness measure.

The plan also establishes ways to notify the public in the event of an emergency. In our
scenario, electric power was lost in Centerville, so many people could not get information
either by phone or by television. The area did not have a siren warning system, and
evacuation routes were not generally familiar to the public. As a result, the only means of
reaching many people was through broadcasts that could be received only on battery-operated
radios or by traveling to their neighborhoods.

Where did Centerville get the boats it used

to rescue its citizens? Unless the town had
worked out an advance agreement with
possible sources, it lost valuable time trying
to make the necessary arrangements at the
time of immediate need. In addition to
making arrangements with private sources
to borrow resources (such as heavy
equipment that may be needed for debris
removal), communities may also have
mutual aid agreements in place with
adjacent communities to facilitate requests
for assistance.

In addition to providing policies,

procedures, and an emergency organization
structure, the plan contains information on
the specific emergency conditions under
which the plan will be activated. If the
Community plans should specify sources for the conditions warrant, local authorities may
heavy equipment needed for debris removal. declare an emergency. The legal basis for a
local state-of-emergency declaration
typically is a local ordinance that stipulates who has the authority to declare a state of
emergency and under what conditions this can be done. Documentation provided in the plan
gives local governments a solid legal foundation for any subsequent request for State and
Federal emergency assistance and eliminates any confusion about the degree of impact the
event has had on the community. Communities that formulate sound plans, establish
appropriate emergency-related policies, and test their plans through regularly scheduled
exercises will be prepared to assist citizens if an emergency occurs.

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 X 2-17

State governments also must document their plans for emergency response. The typical State
plan is similar in structure and organization to most emergency operations plans developed
by local governments. State and local plans should be coordinated to ensure that procedures
for providing assistance result in an effective combined effort.

Recovery Planning

While State and local governments are experienced in developing and testing emergency
response plans, only recently has the need for disaster recovery planning gained increased
attention.

A disaster recovery plan establishes the roles, responsibilities, policies, and procedures to be
used by State and local governments during the short- and long-term phases of a disaster.
The disaster recovery plan may be separate from the emergency operations plan or it may be
an annex to it. Some States require their local jurisdictions to develop disaster recovery
plans or annexes and determine the issues to be included. Generally, however, the disaster
recovery plan or annex should identify the roles and responsibilities of local government
staff involved in disaster recovery operations, the organizational structure for the local
disaster recovery staff, and policies and procedures that will be used during disaster recovery
operations.

Examples of activities covered in disaster recovery plans are: debris removal, building
inspection, public health and safety, temporary housing, temporary and permanent
restoration of community services, disaster staffing, and documentation of expenditures for
recovery operations.

State and Local Hazard Mitigation Planning

The Stafford Act requires that the recipients of disaster assistance make every effort to
mitigate the natural hazards in the area. To comply with this provision, State and local
governments must prepare and implement a hazard mitigation plan outlining cost-effective
strategies to reduce vulnerability to specific hazards. Through the plan, State and local
government can:

X Evaluate the hazards in the disaster area.

X Identify appropriate actions to mitigate vulnerability to these hazards.

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-18

The Stafford Act specifically encourages regulation of land use and protective construction
standards as part of a long-term, comprehensive approach to mitigation. The President is also
authorized to prescribe hazard mitigation standards and approve such standards proposed by
State and local governments. Disaster assistance can be made conditional upon a recipient’s
agreement to develop a long-term strategy and program that will reduce or eliminate the need
for future Federal disaster assistance should a similar event recur.

After a Presidential disaster declaration, FEMA works with the State to develop an Early
Implementation Strategy. The strategy outlines activities to help reduce future damages based
on damages assessed in the current disaster. This ensures that communities, States, and
individuals consider ways to reduce potential damages from the next disaster as they make
repairs now.

In the next unit, you will learn about Federal assistance and the conditions under which it is
made available.

TRIBAL POLICY

Because of their unique status in the United States with the rights and benefits of sovereign
nations, American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal governments have been assigned a
separate disaster policy by FEMA that differs from that of the State governments. Once the
President approves the State Governor’s request for a disaster declaration, Tribal
Governments that represent areas that sustained disaster damage can apply for disaster aid.
Depending on the particular tribe and State, the application for disaster assistance will go
either directly to FEMA or it will go through the State emergency management agency.

Disaster aid to Tribal Governments is authorized under the Stafford Act. This act authorizes
FEMA to provide grants to individuals who do not qualify for other assistance for their unmet
necessary expenses and serious needs. In addition, FEMA has a Public Assistance program
that provides supplemental grant assistance to help Tribal Governments rebuild after the
disaster. Finally, the Stafford Act also created the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program that
provides grants to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures after a disaster
declaration. These grants are provided on a cost shared basis and normally the recipient
provides 25% of the cost of the project.

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 X 2-19

SUMMARY

Local governments are the first line of defense against emergencies. When needed, they serve
as the link between individuals and the emergency response and recovery efforts carried out
by State and Federal government.

Response involves immediate actions to save lives, protect property, and meet basic human
needs. Short-term recovery generally involves temporary measures to restore essential
services and get the community going again. Long-term recovery involves permanent
restoration, including steps to provide greater safety for the future. Local ordinances and
emergency operations plans are the basis for the local response effort. Voluntary agencies are
an integral part of the community response effort.

The local government requests State assistance when it is needed. The State uses local reports
describing damages incurred and local actions taken to determine how to best direct its
resources.

If the State’s resources are also overwhelmed, the Governor may request specific types of
assistance from the Federal government. X

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS
X 2-20

Check Your Memory

(Answers on page K-2)

1. To protect citizens in an emergency, local government __________.

a. Activates its local emergency operations plan.

b. Warns citizens.
c. Reports to State officials.
d. All of the above.

2. Large-scale restoration and replacement of buildings or roads are _____________________

activities.

a. Short-term recovery.
b. Long-term recovery.

3. Situation reports are used to ______________________.

a. Monitor local response.

b. Evaluate the extent of damage.
c. Identify needed assistance.
d. All of the above.

4. During an emergency or disaster, the Governor may be authorized to

_____________________.

a. Activate Federal assistance.

b. Mobilize State agency resources.
c. Appropriate private resources.
d. Both b and c.

5. The State National Guard could assist communities in _________.

a. Food supply inspection.

b. Maintaining order.
c. Counseling.
d. Advising farmers on damage recovery.

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 X 2-21

6. After a disaster happens, there is no point doing anything to reduce the damages that
might occur next time.

a. True
b. False

UNIT TWO: HOW COMMUNITIES AND STATES DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS