A state of emergency is an official declaration allowing a government to act quickly when faced with a natural disaster or man-made crisis. This means that the elected leaders at the local or national level can access resources that will help them manage a situation and return things to normal as soon as possible.
A state of emergency can be declared by a governor, mayor or the governing body of a county, municipality or city. The declaration will include a description of the geographical area, along with a list of prohibitions or restrictions to promote public safety in that area. For example, the state of emergency may restrict the sale of alcohol, impose curfews, control where people are allowed to travel and gather, limit the movement of dangerous weapons or vehicles or order evacuations.
When a president declares a state of emergency at the national level, it can trigger federal aid. This includes grants for housing, emergency planning and other disaster response and recovery activities. The president can also make regulations to deal with the situation at hand that might infringe on certain rights and liberties enshrined within the constitution, such as freedom of speech or movement, so long as they are “reasonably justifiable” for dealing with the emergency.
The definition of a state of emergency is not defined in the constitution, but the law makes it clear that it must be based on the existence of a natural or man-made disaster. This allows the government to rapidly create and distribute supplies, establish curfews or rationing and mobilize the military, among other measures.