Usually the governor of the state involved.
Governor of the affected State
Initial federal response, Preliminary damage assessments, Governor's request, Recommendation to the President, Presidential disaster declaration, Disaster field office established, FEMA/State agreement
State Governor
governor
Govenor
The response is beyond the financial or operational capabilities of the local or tribal, and State governments.
The Governor must request the declaration. Then a director from FEMA reviews the extend of the damage and makes a recommendation. Usually the President will visit or fly over the area and announce his decision. There have been over 2,000 Presidential Disaster Declarations since 1964.(the following paragraph is from FEMA's regulations)Declaration ProcessThe request for a declaration must come from the Governor or Acting Governor. Before sending a formal request letter to the President, the Governor will request that FEMA conduct a joint Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) with the State to verify damage and estimate the amount of supplemental assistance that will be needed. If the Governor believes that Federal assistance is necessary after this assessment is complete, the Governor sends a request letter to the President, directed through the Regional Administrator (RA) of the appropriate FEMA region. The RA reviews the request and forwards it with a recommendation to the Director of FEMA who, in turn, makes a recommendation to the President. In the aftermath of a significant event causing extensive damage and loss of life, the declaration process may be expedited. The President makes the decision whether to declare a major disaster or emergency. After the initial declaration, the person designated by the Governor as the Governor's Authorized Representative (GAR) may request additional areas to be eligible for assistance or for additional types of assistance as deemed necessary.
declaration, demand petition, suit, request,
Range Control - RC-Admin
Rc admin
A US President does not have the right to declare war. The most he/she can do in that respect is to request a declaration of war from Congress, to legally persuade members of Congress to vote for the declaration, and to request others to legally persuade members of Congress to vote for the decalration. Congress did vote in favor of the declaration of war, but it was by the smallest margin of any declaration of war in US history.
"Most states tend to carry a recovery plan and have it tucked away in case of an emergency. To find out your state's disaster plan, you can contact your local government agency and request a copy."