what happens when a governor declares a state of emergency
A: By declaring a state of emergency, the governor urges all nonessential personnel to stay off the roads so not to interfere with law enforcement and emergency responders. An emergency declaration doesn't mean motorists will be ticketed for merely being on the roads, and essential personnel is not defined by law.
A government or division of government (i.e. on a municipal, provincial/state level) may declare that their area is in a state of emergency. This means that the government can suspend and/or change some functions of the executive, the legislative and/or the judiciary during this period of time.