State Governments

State governments in the United States are expected to prepare for disasters in advance, respond after disasters, and assist local governments with disaster relief if those governments are unable to respond alone. While states have their own emergency management agencies, other agencies also help with disaster relief and recovery. States have more resources available to them than local governments, but can also focus more narrowly on specific disasters than the federal government, a combination that bridges potential gaps in disaster preparedness, recovery, and relief between local and federal levels of government. State governments aid local governments when they become overwhelmed by disasters, while also coordinating additional aid and assistance from the federal government.

State governments respond to natural disasters, human-made disasters, and technological disasters. These broader categories include a wide variety of events, including flooding, drought, winter storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, chemical disasters, epidemics, terrorism, civil disorder, or utility failures or shortages. The state level of disaster recovery and relief includes issues at the local level and coordination with the federal government. This diverse range of hazards reveals the need for a variety of agencies and officials, including governors' offices; legislatures; emergency management agencies; and a variety of state-level agencies such as transportation, agriculture, health departments, and public works departments.

State governments impact disaster response and relief at the state and local levels in a variety of ways. Each state helps with disaster relief efforts such as providing food stamps and financial benefits to those affected by the storm, often as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) works to enroll individuals for federal aid. States send in National Guard troops to aid affected residents. Relief and recovery efforts also extend to bureaucratic work, as state legislatures adjust state taxes and provide state-level grants for individuals affected by disasters. Crucial to state disaster recovery and relief efforts are state emergency management agencies.