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      EnglishEspañolFrançaisKreyòlTiếng Việt简体中文한국어  General Disaster Information
              
              
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

              How a Disaster Gets Declared
                          How a Disaster Gets Declared

                      Individual Assistance Declaration Factors
                  
                                        
                    
          
                    
                            
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FEMA published a final rule on March 21, 2019, amending 44 C.F.R. 206.48(b) (*Factors considered when evaluating a Governor's request for a major disaster declaration*) which revised the factors that FEMA considers when evaluating a Governor’s request for a major disaster declaration authorizing Individual Assistance.  FEMA published the final rule as part of an effort to meet requirements in section 1109 of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (P.L. 113-2).



The intent of the final rule is to provide more objective criteria, clarify the threshold for eligibility and speed the declaration process.



The final rule and guidance will be effective on June 1, 2019.



More information regarding the declaration process can be found at 44 C.F.R. Part 206, Subpart B.



The IA Declaration Factors apply only to state and territory major disaster declaration requests that include IA.  FEMA is implementing guidance for tribal declarations on a separate, distinct track. The IA criteria for tribal declarations may be found in the Tribal Declaration Pilot Guidance.



Individual Assistance Declaration Factors



44 C.F.R. 206.48(b) establishes six Individual Assistance Declaration Factors:



State Fiscal Capacity and Resource AvailabilityUninsured Home and Personal Property LossesDisaster Impacted Population ProfileImpact to Community InfrastructureCasualtiesDisaster Related UnemploymentReview the final rule and guidance.



Here are links to other information that may be useful during the declarations process:



Total Taxable Resources (TTR) for StatesGross Domestic Product (GDP) – Use GDP by State for territories, metro areas, counties, etc.Homeownership RatesAvailable for the U.S., regions, states, and for the 75 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).



Poverty RatesSupplemental Security Income dataUnemployment data for StatesUnemployment data for Counties and 50 largest CitiesPopulation Demographics (DP05 5-Year Estimates) – (County Table)“Under 18 years”“65 years and over”“American Indian and Alaska Native populations”Population Demographics (S1810 5-Year Estimates)(County Table)“Total civilian noninstitutionalized population”Population Demographics (B06007 5-Year Estimates) (County Table)“Percent of population who speaks English less than very well”Updated version of the IHP Cost Projection Calculator.



IHP Cost Projection Calculator
Last updated March 22, 2024

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