As much as we try to prepare for catastrophic disasters and to reduce our risk from their devastation, hurricanes, tornadoes, major earthquakes and other disasters still happen.

When they do, local and state officials are the first to respond.  If the loss of life and property overwhelms this response, the federal government—including FEMA—is called upon to help.

FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Grant Program is one way federal assistance gets to the state and local governments and to certain private nonprofit organizations.  These grants allow them to respond to disasters, to recover from their impact and to mitigate impact from future disasters.  While these grants are aimed at governments and organizations—their final goal is to help a community and all its citizens recover from devastating natural disasters.

The PA Program provides the basis for consistent training and credentialing of staff (people) who administer the program; more accessible and understandable guidance and policy for participating in the grant program; improved customer service throughout a ore efficient grant delivery process, applicant –centered management, and better information exchange; and continuing performance evaluations and program improvements.

For more information, please visit the Public Assistance Program section on FEMA's website.