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https://crsreports.congress.gov October 16, 2017 Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: U.S. Virgin Islands Overview The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is the primary source of federal assistance following a major disaster declaration. The authority to declare a major disaster is provided to the President under the Robert T. Stafford Emergency Relief and Disaster Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288, as amended; Stafford Act). The information below includes only DRF funding provided to the U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of assistance associated with a major disaster declaration declared between FY2000 and FY2016. This information does not include other assistance provided through the DRF or disaster assistance provided by other federal sources, such as Small Business Administration disaster loans. In FY2017, two major disasters were declared for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Those major disaster declarations are not included in the analysis below. FEMA administers disaster relief through regional offices. The U.S. Virgin Islands are part of Region II, headquartered in New York, NY. The U.S. Virgin Islands are considered a state under Section 102 of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5122) for the purposes of the act. Major Disaster Declarations: FY2000-FY2016 A total of seven major disaster declarations were made for the U.S. Virgin Islands between FY2000 and FY2016. During that time, there were no requests for major disaster declarations that were denied. The approved declarations led to $45 million in actual and projected federal obligations from the DRF. Actual and projected obligations are used throughout this In Focus to account for the total amount of federal assistance ultimately obligated. This funding does not include the assistance that was provided directly by the territory, either as a cost-share for federal assistance or through the territory’s own authorities and programs. There was a high level of variation in the amount of actual and projected funding obligated for major disasters each year, with more than $14 million in actual and projected obligations for disasters in FY2000 alone. Figure 1 displays the actual and projected obligations to the U.S. Virgin Islands each fiscal year. The highest number of declarations in a single year was two, which occurred in FY2011. Most Costly Declarations The declaration associated with the largest actual and projected obligations from the DRF to the U.S. Virgin Islands was for Hurricane Lenny in FY2000. This declaration resulted in more than $14 million in actual and projected obligations to the U.S. Virgin Islands from the DRF. The next two most costly declarations were for Hurricane Omar in FY2009 and severe storms, flooding, rockslides, and mudslides in FY2011. Local Impacts From FY2000 to FY2016, three local or territorial governments in the U.S. Virgin Islands received aid under major disaster declarations. The island of St. Croix received aid for the highest number of declarations during this period, with seven. Figure 1.DRF Actual and Projected Obligations for Declared Major Disasters for the U.S. Virgin Islands, by Fiscal Year Figures are in millions of dollars, truncated. The number of declarations per year is in parentheses. Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of Aug. 2017. Notes: Actual and projected obligations are recorded in the fiscal year in which the major disaster was declared. Only obligations from the FEMA DRF are included. Types of Assistance Provided for Major Disasters A major disaster declaration can authorize funding for different purposes, depending on the needs of the territory. These purposes include: Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: U.S. Virgin Islands https://crsreports.congress.gov  Public Assistance, which is used by territorial or local governments, or certain private nonprofit organizations to provide emergency protective services, conduct debris removal operations, and repair or replace damaged public infrastructure;  Individual Assistance, which provides direct aid to impacted households;  Hazard Mitigation Assistance, which funds mitigation and resiliency projects and programs, typically across the entire territory;  FEMA administrative costs associated with each disaster declaration; and  Mission Assignments, which tasks and reimburses other federal entities that provide direct disaster assistance. The decision concerning which types of assistance to provide is made either when the major disaster is declared or when the declaration is amended. For many major disasters, all of the assistance types outlined above are authorized. For others, some assistance types are not authorized. Figure 2 compares the actual and projected obligations for different types of assistance provided to the U.S. Virgin Islands as a result of a major disaster declaration from FY2000 to FY2016. Figure 2.DRF Assistance for the U.S. Virgin Islands, by Type (FY2000-FY2016) Source: CRS analysis of FEMA DRF obligation data as of Aug. 2017. Note: The specific assistance within each of the identified types may have changed in the period FY2000 to FY2016. “Operations” is a category provided by FEMA that includes three types of Mission Assignment and Urban Search and Rescue. Other FEMA Assistance Funded Through the DRF In addition to the major disaster assistance described above, there are other forms of assistance that are funded through the DRF. Funding associated with these types of assistance typically results in lower obligation levels than assistance through major disaster declarations, although there is significant variation across incidents.  Emergency Declarations are often made when a threat is recognized to assist territorial preparation efforts.  Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) provide aid for the control, management, and mitigation of fires. FEMA Assistance Not Funded Through the DRF: National Flood Insurance Program Floods represent a majority of all major disaster declarations nationwide. One of the primary sources of assistance for flooding events is the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which is not funded through the DRF. For more information on the NFIP, please refer to CRS Report R44593, Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Additional Resources Many existing CRS products address issues related to the DRF, the disaster declaration process, and types of DRF assistance. Below is a list of several of these resources:  CRS Report R41981, Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies  CRS Report R43519, Natural Disasters and Hazards: CRS Experts  CRS Report R43784, FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Process: A Primer  CRS Report R43537, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund: Overview and Selected Issues  CRS Report R43990, FEMA’s Public Assistance Grant Program: Background and Considerations for Congress  CRS Report R44619, FEMA Disaster Housing: The Individuals and Households Program—Implementation and Potential Issues for Congress CRS Experts FEMA Disaster Assistance: Bruce R. Lindsay, Analyst in American National Government Shawn Reese, Analyst in Emergency Management and Homeland Security Policy National Flood Insurance Program: Diane P. Horn, Analyst in Flood Insurance and Emergency Management Bruce R. Lindsay, Analyst in American National Government IF10756 Major Disaster Assistance from the DRF: U.S. Virgin Islands https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10756 · VERSION 4 · NEW Disclaimer This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. 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