(a) In general

The President shall designate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency a Small State and Rural Advocate.

(b) Responsibilities

Terms Used In 42 USC 5165d

  • Emergency: means any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal assistance is needed to supplement State and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States. See 42 USC 5122
  • Major disaster: means any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, winddriven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this chapter to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby. See 42 USC 5122
  • State: means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. See 42 USC 5122

The Small State and Rural Advocate shall be an advocate for the fair treatment of small States and rural communities in the provision of assistance under this chapter.

(c) Duties

The Small State and Rural Advocate shall—

(1) participate in the disaster declaration process under section 5170 of this title and the emergency declaration process under section 5191 of this title, to ensure that the needs of rural communities are being addressed;

(2) assist small population States in the preparation of requests for major disaster or emergency declarations;

(3) assist States in the collection and presentation of material in the disaster or emergency declaration request relevant to demonstrate severe localized impacts within the State for a specific incident, including—

(A) the per capita personal income by local area, as calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis;

(B) the disaster impacted population profile, as reported by the Bureau of the Census, including—

(i) the percentage of the population for whom poverty status is determined;

(ii) the percentage of the population already receiving Government assistance such as Supplemental Security Income and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits;

(iii) the pre-disaster unemployment rate;

(iv) the percentage of the population that is 65 years old and older;

(v) the percentage of the population 18 years old and younger;

(vi) the percentage of the population with a disability;

(vii) the percentage of the population who speak a language other than English and speak English less than “very well”; and

(viii) any unique considerations regarding American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribal populations raised in the State’s request for a major disaster declaration that may not be reflected in the data points referenced in this subparagraph;


(C) the impact to community infrastructure, including—

(i) disruptions to community life-saving and life-sustaining services;

(ii) disruptions or increased demand for essential community services; and

(iii) disruptions to transportation, infrastructure, and utilities; and


(D) any other information relevant to demonstrate severe local impacts; and


(4) conduct such other activities as the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency considers appropriate.

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