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Updated March 6, 2017
Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: New York
Overview
adjusted the cost-share to provide more resources from the
The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is managed by the Federal
DRF. The next most costly declaration was for the
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is the
Hurricane Irene in FY2011.
primary source of federal assistance following a major
disaster declaration. The authority to declare a major
Local Impacts
disaster is provided to the President under the Robert T.
From FY2000 to FY2015, 62 county governments in New
Stafford Emergency Relief and Disaster Assistance Act
York received aid under major disaster declarations.
(P.L. 93-288).
Delaware County received aid for the highest number of
declarations during this period, with 15.
The information below includes only DRF funding
provided to New York as a result of assistance associated
Figure 1. DRF Actual and Projected Obligations for
with a major disaster declaration. This information does not
Declared Major Disasters in New York, by Fiscal Year
include other assistance provided through the DRF or
Figures are in millions of dol ars, truncated. The number of
disaster assistance provided by other federal sources, such
declarations per year is in parentheses.
as Small Business Administration disaster loans.
FEMA administers disaster relief through regional offices
around the country. New York is part of Region II,
headquartered in New York, NY.
Major Disaster Declarations: FY2000-
FY2015
A total of 30 major disaster declarations were made in the
state of New York between FY2000 and FY2015. During
that time, there were also six requests for major disaster
declarations that were denied. The approved declarations
led to $29.1 billion 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 $17.7 billion in actual and projected
obligations for disasters in FY2013 alone. Figure 1
displays the actual and projected obligations to New York
each fiscal year. The highest number of declarations in a
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligations data as of December
single year was five, which occurred in FY2007 and
2015.
FY2011.
Notes: Actual and projected obligations are recorded in the fiscal
Most Costly Declarations
year in which the major disaster was declared. Only obligations from
the FEMA DRF are included. Please consult the “Additional
The declaration associated with the largest actual and
Resources” section for information on other federal assistance
projected obligations from the DRF to the state of New
programs.
York was for Hurricane Sandy in FY2013. This declaration
resulted in more than $17.6 billion in actual and projected
Types of Assistance Provided for Major
obligations to New York from the DRF. New York also
Disasters
received a major disaster declaration following the terrorist
A major disaster declaration can authorize funding for
attacks of September 11, 2001.
different purposes, depending on the needs of the state.
These purposes include:
Both of these incidents are different from other major
disaster declarations because the federal government
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Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: New York
Public Assistance, which is used by tribal, state, or local
Emergency Declarations and with Fire Management
governments, or certain private nonprofit organizations
Assistance Grants. The funding associated with these types
to provide emergency protective services, conduct
of assistance typically results in lower obligation levels than
debris removal operations, and repair or replace
assistance provided as a result of major disaster
damaged public infrastructure;
declarations, although there is significant variation across
incidents.
Individual Assistance, which provides direct aid to
impacted households;
Emergency Declarations are often made at the time a
threat is recognized in order to assist tribal, state, and
Hazard Mitigation Assistance, which funds mitigation
local efforts prior to an incident.
and resiliency projects and programs, typically across
the entire state;
Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) provide
aid for the control, management, and mitigation of fires.
FEMA administrative costs associated with each disaster
declaration; and
FEMA Assistance Not Funded Through
the DRF: National Flood Insurance
Mission Assignment, which tasks and reimburses other
Program
federal entities that provide direct disaster assistance.
Floods represent a majority of all major disaster
declarations nationwide. One of the primary sources of
The decision concerning which types of assistance to
assistance for flooding events is the National Flood
provide is made either when the major disaster is declared
Insurance Program (NFIP), which is not funded through the
or when the declaration is amended. For many major
DRF. For more information on the NFIP, please refer to
disasters, all of the assistance types outlined above are
CRS Report R44593, Introduction to FEMA’s National
authorized. For others, some assistance types are not
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
authorized. Figure 2 compares the actual and projected
obligations for different types of assistance provided to
Additional Resources
New York as a result of a major disaster declaration from
Many existing CRS products address issues related to the
FY2000 to FY2015.
DRF, the disaster declaration process, and types of DRF
assistance. Below is a list of several of these resources:
Figure 2. DRF Assistance for New York, by Type
(FY2000-FY2015)
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
FEMA Disaster Assistance:
Bruce R. Lindsay
Jared T. Brown
Shawn Reese
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of December
2015.
National Flood Insurance Program:
Note: The specific assistance within each of the identified types may
Diane P. Horn
have changed in the period FY2000 to FY2015.
Other FEMA Assistance Funded
Bruce R. Lindsay, Analyst in American National
Through the DRF
Government
In addition to the major disaster assistance described above,
IF10090
there are other forms of assistance that are funded through
the DRF. These include assistance associated with
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Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: New York
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
United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be
reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include
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wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
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