January 28, 2015
FEMA DRF Major Disaster AssistanceUpdated March 6, 2017
Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: Utah
Overview
The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is managed by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is the
primary source of funding used to providefederal assistance
following a major
disaster declaration. The authority to
declare a major
disaster is provided to the President under
the Robert T.
Stafford Emergency Relief and Disaster
Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288).
Figure 1. DRF Obligations for Declared Major
Disasters in Utah, by Fiscal Year
Figures are in millions of dollars. The number of declarations
per year is in parentheses.
The information below includes only the funding provided
as a result of a major disaster declaration, not other
assistance funded through the DRF. Additionally, this
information does not include other federal sources of
disaster assistance, such as Small Business Administration
disaster loans.
(P.L. 93-288).
The information below includes only DRF funding
provided to Utah as a result of assistance associated with a
major disaster declaration. This information does not
include other assistance provided through the DRF or
disaster assistance provided by other federal sources, such
as Small Business Administration disaster loans.
Local Impacts
From FY2000 to FY2015, 23 county governments and one
tribal government in Utah received aid under major disaster
declarations. Kane County and Washington County
received aid for the highest number of declarations during
this period, with three each.
Figure 1. DRF Actual and Projected Obligations for
Declared Major Disasters in Utah, by Fiscal Year
Figures are in millions of dollars, truncated. The number of
declarations per year is in parentheses.
FEMA administers disaster relief through regional offices
around the country. Utah is part of Region VIII,
headquartered in Denver, CO.
Major Disaster Declarations:
FY2000-FY2013 FY2000FY2015
A total of six major disaster declarations were made in the
state of Utah between FY2000 and FY2013FY2015. During that
time, there were no requests forwas also one request for a major disaster declarations
that were
declaration that was denied. The approved declarations led
to $45
million in federal obligations from the Disaster Relief Fund.
This funding does not include the assistance that was
provided directly by the state, either as a cost-share for
federal assistance, or through the state’s own authorities
and programs. There was a high level of variation in the
amount of funding obligated each year, with more than half
of the total obligated in FY2011 alone. Figure 1 displays
the total funding obligated to Utah each year. The highest
number of declarations for Utah in a single year was two,
which occurred in both FY2005 and FY2011.
Significant Incidents
Flooding in FY2011 led to the highest level of DRF
assistance during this period. This incident led to nearly $14
million in assistance. The only other incident that led to
more than $10 million in assistance was the result of severe
winter storms earlier in that same year.
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligations data as of June 2014.
Notes: Figures above reflect both actual obligations and projected
obligations. Only obligations from the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund are
included. Please consult the “Additional Resources” section for
information on other federal assistance programs.
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FEMA DRF Major Disaster Assistance: Utah
Types of Assistance Provided for Major
Disasters
Other Assistance Funded Through the
DRF
A major disaster declaration can include funding for
different purposes, depending on the needs of the state.
These purposes include:
In addition to the major disasters listed above, there are also
other forms of assistance that are funded through the
Disaster Relief Fund. These include both Emergency
Declarations and Fire Management Assistance Grants. The
assistance provided for these declarations typically involves
lower obligation levels than major disaster declarations,
although there is significant variation across incidents.
• Public Assistance (PA) that is used to conduct debris
removal operations, repair or replace damaged public
infrastructure, and other assistance;
• Individual Assistance (IA) that provides direct aid to
impacted households, and other assistance;
• Hazard Mitigation (HM) that funds resilience projects
and programs, typically across the whole state; and
Emergency Declarations are often made at the time a threat
is recognized and are issued to assist state, local, and tribal
efforts prior to the incident.
• FEMA administrative costs associated with each
Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) provide aid
for the control, management, and mitigation of fires.
The decision to provide certain types of assistance is made
at the time of the major disaster declaration. For many
major disasters, all of the assistance types outlined above
will be authorized. For others, some assistance types will
not be included. Figure 2 compares the amounts expended
for different types of assistance that were provided to Utah
from FY2000 to FY2013.
Additional Resources
disaster declaration.
There are many existing CRS products that address issues
related to the Disaster Relief Fund, the disaster declaration
process, and federal emergency management policy. Below
is a list of several of these resources:
• CRS Report R41981, Congressional Primer on
Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies
Figure 2. DRF Assistance for Utah, by Type
(FY2000-FY2013)
• CRS Report R43519, Natural Disasters and Hazards:
CRS Experts
• CRS Report RL34146, FEMA’s Disaster Declaration
Process: A Primer
• CRS Report R42845, Federal Emergency Management:
A Brief Introduction
• CRS Report R43537, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund:
Overview and Selected Issues
• CRS Report RL33053, Federal Stafford Act Disaster
Assistance: Presidential Declarations, Eligible
Activities, and Funding
FEMA is also responsible for administering the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). More information on
whether your community participates in this program can
be found in the NFIP Community Status Book at fema.gov.
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of June 2014.
County Impact
Since 2000, 24 counties or reservations in Utah have
received aid under a major disaster declaration. During that
time no single county has received more than three.
CRS Experts
FEMA Disaster Assistance:
Francis X. McCarthy, fmccarthy@crs.loc.gov, 7-9533
Bruce R. Lindsay, blindsay@crs.loc.gov, 7-3752
Jared T. Brown, jbrown@crs.loc.gov, 7-4918
National Flood Insurance Program:
Rawle King, rking@crs.loc.gov, 7-5975
Daniel J. Richardson, drichardson@crs.loc.gov, 7-2389
IF10102
www.crs.gov | 7-570044 million in actual and projected federal obligations
from the DRF. Actual and projected obligations are used
throughout this In Focus to account for the total amount of
federal assistance ultimately obligated. This funding does
not include the assistance that was provided directly by the
state, either as a cost-share for federal assistance or through
the state’s own authorities and programs.
There was a high level of variation in the amount of actual
and projected funding obligated for major disasters each
year, with more than $25 million in actual and projected
obligations for disasters in FY2011 alone. Figure 1
displays the actual and projected obligations to Utah each
fiscal year. The highest number of declarations in a single
year was two, which occurred in FY2005 and FY2011.
Most Costly Declarations
The declaration associated with the largest actual and
projected obligations from the DRF to the state of Utah was
for flooding in FY2011. This declaration resulted in more
than $13 million in actual and projected obligations to Utah
from the DRF.
The next two most costly declarations were for severe
winter storms and flooding in FY2011 and severe storms
and flooding in FY2005.
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligations data as of December
2015.
Notes: Actual and projected obligations are recorded in the fiscal
year in which the major disaster was declared. Only obligations from
the FEMA DRF are included. Please consult the “Additional
Resources” section for information on other federal assistance
programs.
Types of Assistance Provided for Major
Disasters
A major disaster declaration can authorize funding for
different purposes, depending on the needs of the state.
These purposes include:
Public Assistance, which is used by tribal, state, or local
governments, or certain private nonprofit organizations
to provide emergency protective services, conduct
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Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: Utah
debris removal operations, and repair or replace
damaged public infrastructure;
Individual Assistance, which provides direct aid to
impacted households;
Assistance Grants. The funding associated with these types
of assistance typically results in lower obligation levels than
assistance provided as a result of major disaster
declarations, although there is significant variation across
incidents.
Hazard Mitigation Assistance, which funds mitigation
Emergency Declarations are often made at the time a
and resiliency projects and programs, typically across
the entire state;
threat is recognized in order to assist tribal, state, and
local efforts prior to an incident.
FEMA administrative costs associated with each disaster
Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) provide
declaration; and
aid for the control, management, and mitigation of fires.
Mission Assignment, which tasks and reimburses other
federal entities that provide direct disaster assistance.
The decision concerning which types of assistance to
provide is made either when the major disaster is declared
or when the declaration is amended. For many major
disasters, all of the assistance types outlined above are
authorized. For others, some assistance types are not
authorized. Figure 2 compares the actual and projected
obligations for different types of assistance provided to
Utah as a result of a major disaster declaration from
FY2000 to FY2015.
Figure 2. DRF Assistance for Utah, by Type (FY2000FY2015)
FEMA Assistance Not Funded Through
the DRF: National Flood Insurance
Program
Floods represent a majority of all major disaster
declarations nationwide. One of the primary sources of
assistance for flooding events is the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP), which is not funded through the
DRF. For more information on the NFIP, please refer to
CRS Report R44593, Introduction to FEMA’s National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Additional Resources
Many existing CRS products address issues related to the
DRF, the disaster declaration process, and types of DRF
assistance. Below is a list of several of these resources:
CRS Report R41981, Congressional Primer on
Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies
CRS Report R43519, Natural Disasters and Hazards:
CRS Experts
CRS Report R43784, FEMA’s Disaster Declaration
Process: A Primer
CRS Report R43537, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund:
Overview and Selected Issues
CRS Report R44619, FEMA Disaster Housing: The
Individuals and Households Program—Implementation
and Potential Issues for Congress
CRS Report R43990, FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant
Program: Background and Considerations for Congress
CRS Experts
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of December
2015.
Note: The specific assistance within each of the identified types may
have changed in the period FY2000 to FY2015.
Other FEMA Assistance Funded
Through the DRF
In addition to the major disaster assistance described above,
there are other forms of assistance that are funded through
the DRF. These include assistance associated with
Emergency Declarations and with Fire Management
FEMA Disaster Assistance:
Bruce R. Lindsay
Jared T. Brown
Shawn Reese
National Flood Insurance Program:
Diane P. Horn
Bruce R. Lindsay, Analyst in American National
Government
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IF10102
Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: Utah
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
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