Angelica Conner 
FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund 
Elements and Considerations

The Robert T. Stafford Emergency Relief and Disaster Assistance Act authorizes the President to issue declarations for incidents ranging from destructive, large-scale disasters to more routine, less damaging events. Declarations trigger federal assistance in the forms of various response and recovery programs under the Stafford Act to state, local, and tribal governments. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is the primary funding source for disaster response and recovery. This book discusses the declaration process and the types of declarations that can be issued. It also describes the various components of the DRF, including what authorities have shaped it over the years; how FEMA determines the amount of the appropriation requested to Congress (pertaining to the DRF); and how emergency supplemental appropriations are requested. Information is also provided on funds appropriated in supplemental appropriations legislation to agencies other than the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).