During certain disasters and emergencies, the President of the United States is given authority to provide Federal assistance through the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as Amended (Stafford Act), Title 42 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) § 5121 et seq.

The Stafford Act authorizes the President to provide Federal assistance when the magnitude of an incident or threatened incident exceeds the affected State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local government capabilities to respond or recover.

The President provides authorization for Federal assistance through two types of declarations:

• Emergency declarations
• Major disaster declarations