Response

The Response Phase leads, manages, and coordinates our community response to acts of terrorism, natural or man-made disasters, and / or emergencies. The Response Phase occurs during and in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and can include actions to protect the life and safety of residents.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Response Framework is a guide to how the Nation responds to all types of disasters and emergencies. Built on scalable, flexible, and adaptable concepts identified in the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the NRF aligns key roles and responsibilities across the Nation. The NRF describes the principles, roles and responsibilities, and coordinating structures for delivering the core capabilities required to respond to an incident and further describes how response efforts integrate with those of the other Emergency Management phases.

Stafford Act

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, PL 100-707, signed into law November 23, 1988; amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974, PL 93-288. This Act constitutes the statutory authority for most Federal disaster response activities especially as they pertain to FEMA and FEMA programs and states in part that: "All requests for a declaration by the President that a major disaster exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State." A State also includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Republic of Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia are also eligible to request a declaration and receive assistance through the Compacts of Free Association.