The United States and its territories can assist each other during emergencies and disasters. By using the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) states can request and respond to requests for aid.
EMAC
The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) is an interstate agreement among all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. EMAC enables the Governor to request disaster recovery assistance from other states after a declared state of emergency.
EMAC is governed by the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA). This mutual aid agreement enables states to send emergency response equipment, personnel, assets, and commodities during times of natural, man-made, or technological disasters that pose a public safety threat. The mutual aid agreement is outlined in the Commonwealth’s Chapter 339 Acts of 2000.
EMAC is unique among mutual-aid compacts because it allows the deployment of any resource a state is willing to send to another state, including law enforcement, firefighting, public health, transportation and human services.