GOHSEP Elected_Officials_Manual_2015

Overview of Stafford Act Support to States
Source: National Response Framework (NRF), Page 5.
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act).
The Stafford Act authorizes the President to provide
financial and other assistance to State and local
governments, certain private nonprofit organizations
(PNPs) and individuals to support response, recovery
and mitigation efforts following Presidentially declared
emergency or major disaster declarations. Most
incidents are not of sufficient magnitude to warrant
a Presidential declaration. However, if State and local
resources are insufficient, a Governor may ask the
President to make a declaration.
The NRF is built on the following five (5) principles:
• Engaged partnerships.
• Tiered response.
• Scalable, flexible and adaptable operational
capabilities.
• Unity of effort through unified command.
• Readiness to act.
The NRF base document focuses on the essential
processes for requesting and receiving Federal
assistance. It summarizes the key response capabilities
and essential support elements provided through the
15 Emergency Support Function (ESF) Annexes and
Support Annexes. It identifies key players in response
and is separated into the following five (5) chapters:
1) Roles and Responsibilities – Sharpens the
focus on who is involved with emergency
management activities at the local, Tribal, State
and Federal levels and with the private sector
and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
4.4 NRF Page 2 of 4