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October 16, 2017
Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: U.S. Virgin Islands
Overview
projected obligations to the U.S. Virgin Islands from the
The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is managed by the Federal
DRF.
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is the
primary source of federal assistance following a major
The next two most costly declarations were for Hurricane
disaster declaration. The authority to declare a major
Omar in FY2009 and severe storms, flooding, rockslides,
disaster is provided to the President under the Robert T.
and mudslides in FY2011.
Stafford Emergency Relief and Disaster Assistance Act
(P.L. 93-288, as amended; Stafford Act).
Local Impacts
From FY2000 to FY2016, three local or territorial
The information below includes only DRF funding
governments in the U.S. Virgin Islands received aid under
provided to the U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of assistance
major disaster declarations. The island of St. Croix received
associated with a major disaster declaration declared
aid for the highest number of declarations during this
between FY2000 and FY2016. This information does not
period, with seven.
include other assistance provided through the DRF or
disaster assistance provided by other federal sources, such
Figure 1.DRF Actual and Projected Obligations for
as Small Business Administration disaster loans. In
Declared Major Disasters for the U.S. Virgin Islands,
FY2017, two major disasters were declared for the U.S.
by Fiscal Year
Virgin Islands. Those major disaster declarations are not
Figures are in millions of dol ars, truncated. The number of
included in the analysis below.
declarations per year is in parentheses.
FEMA administers disaster relief through regional offices.
The U.S. Virgin Islands are part of Region II, headquartered
in New York, NY. The U.S. Virgin Islands are considered a
state under Section 102 of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C.
5122) for the purposes of the act.
Major Disaster Declarations:
FY2000-FY2016
A total of seven major disaster declarations were made for
the U.S. Virgin Islands between FY2000 and FY2016.
During that time, there were no requests for major disaster
declarations that were denied. The approved declarations
led to $45 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 territory, either as a cost-share for federal
assistance or through the territory’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 $14 million in actual and projected
obligations for disasters in FY2000 alone. Figure 1
displays the actual and projected obligations to the U.S.
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of Aug. 2017.
Virgin Islands each fiscal year. The highest number of
declarations in a single year was two, which occurred in
Notes: Actual and projected obligations are recorded in the fiscal
FY2011.
year in which the major disaster was declared. Only obligations from
the FEMA DRF are included.
Most Costly Declarations
Types of Assistance Provided for Major
The declaration associated with the largest actual and
Disasters
projected obligations from the DRF to the U.S. Virgin
Islands was for Hurricane Lenny in FY2000. This
A major disaster declaration can authorize funding for
declaration resulted in more than $14 million in actual and
different purposes, depending on the needs of the territory.
These purposes include:
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Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: U.S. Virgin Islands
Public Assistance, which is used by territorial or local
typically results in lower obligation levels than assistance
governments, or certain private nonprofit organizations
through major disaster declarations, although there is
to provide emergency protective services, conduct
significant variation across incidents.
debris removal operations, and repair or replace
damaged public infrastructure;
Emergency Declarations are often made when a threat is
recognized to assist territorial preparation efforts.
Individual Assistance, which provides direct aid to
impacted households;
Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) provide
aid for the control, management, and mitigation of fires.
Hazard Mitigation Assistance, which funds mitigation
and resiliency projects and programs, typically across
FEMA Assistance Not Funded Through
the entire territory;
the DRF: National Flood Insurance
FEMA administrative costs associated with each disaster Program
declaration; and
Floods represent a majority of all major disaster
declarations nationwide. One of the primary sources of
Mission Assignments, which tasks and reimburses other
assistance for flooding events is the National Flood
federal entities that provide direct disaster assistance.
Insurance Program (NFIP), which is not funded through the
DRF. For more information on the NFIP, please refer to
The decision concerning which types of assistance to
CRS Report R44593, Introduction to the National Flood
provide is made either when the major disaster is declared
Insurance Program (NFIP).
or when the declaration is amended. For many major
disasters, all of the assistance types outlined above are
Additional Resources
authorized. For others, some assistance types are not
Many existing CRS products address issues related to the
authorized. Figure 2 compares the actual and projected
DRF, the disaster declaration process, and types of DRF
obligations for different types of assistance provided to the
assistance. Below is a list of several of these resources:
U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of a major disaster
declaration from FY2000 to FY2016.
CRS Report R41981, Congressional Primer on
Figure 2.DRF Assistance for the U.S. Virgin Islands, by
Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies
Type (FY2000-FY2016)
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 R43990, FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant
Program: Background and Considerations for Congress
CRS Report R44619, FEMA Disaster Housing: The
Individuals and Households Program—Implementation
and Potential Issues for Congress
CRS Experts
FEMA Disaster Assistance:
Bruce R. Lindsay, Analyst in American National
Government
Shawn Reese, Analyst in Emergency Management and
Homeland Security Policy
National Flood Insurance Program:
Diane P. Horn, Analyst in Flood Insurance and Emergency
Management
Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of Aug. 2017.
Note: The specific assistance within each of the identified types may
Bruce R. Lindsay, Analyst in American National
have changed in the period FY2000 to FY2016. “Operations” is a
Government
category provided by FEMA that includes three types of Mission
Assignment and Urban Search and Rescue.
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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. Funding associated with these types of assistance
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Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: U.S. Virgin Islands
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
copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you
wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
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