Major Disaster Declarations for Snowstorms and Severe Winter Storms
INSIGHTi
Major Disaster Declarations for Snowstorms
and Severe Winter Storms
December 11, 2020
A presidential major disaster declaration pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (hereinafter the Stafford Act, P.L. 93-288, as amended; 42 U.S.C. §§5121 et
seq.) for a “Snowstorm” or a “Severe Winter Storm” authorizes the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) to provide Public Assistance funding for snow-related activities. Snow assistance is
authorized for counties based on the finding that the county has a record or near-record snowfall or is
contiguous to a county that meets the criteria.
Record or Near-Record Snowfall
FEMA uses data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers
for Environmental Information (NCEI) to identify the historical one-, two-, and three-day snowfall
records for each county. FEMA also uses NOAA daily snowfall reports to evaluate snow assistance
requests. For current snowfall incidents, FEMA uses snowfall measurements taken at National Weather
Service (NWS) Cooperative Network Stations, but also accepts other measurements considered accurate
by the NWS.
Declaration Requests
A request for a major disaster declaration for snow assistance must be submitted by the state or territory
governor, or Chief Tribal Executive within 30 days following the snowstorm and include (1) information
identifying which counties and contiguous counties need assistance, (2) the duration of the snowfall as
identified or confirmed by the NWS, and (3) daily snowfall totals from NWS stations or NWS-verified
sources as well as historical snowfall data from the NCEI. In addition, applicants must demonstrate that
they do not have the capacity to effectively respond to the storm without federal assistance.
The information FEMA uses to determine record or near-record snowfalls includes:
comparing current snowfall amounts with the historical record snowfall amounts for a
like number of days;
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snowstorm duration from NWS;
if data from multiple NWS-verified sources exist within a county or tribal land, the
highest current event snowfall reported by the NWS within that county or tribal land is
compared to the highest historical record snowfall for that county or tribal land; and
for counties or tribal lands that do not have NCEI or NWS historical record snowfall data,
FEMA uses the historical record from the nearest NWS Cooperative Network Station in
an adjacent county or tribal land for determining historical snowfall records.
Eligible Activities
Under a Stafford Act declaration, FEMA may provide assistance for eligible snow-related activities
including snow removal, de-icing, salting, snow dumps, and road sanding and other eligible activities
essential to eliminate or lessen immediate threats to life, public health, and safety. Emergency protective
measures, such as sheltering and search and rescue, may be also authorized by the declaration. FEMA
may authorize assistance for reconstruction depending on the nature and scope of the incident.
Snow assistance is available for all eligible costs incurred over a continuous 48-hour period. Each
applicant designates the beginning of its 48-hour period, typically when the highest eligible costs have
occurred. State or territorial agencies conducting snow-related activities in multiple locations may use
different 48-hour periods for different locations. Once FEMA approves the 48-hour period, it cannot be
changed. FEMA may extend the eligible time period of assistance by 24 hours in counties where snowfall
quantities greatly exceed (by at least 50%) previous record amounts.
Author Information
Bruce R. Lindsay
Analyst in American National Government
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.
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