A state of emergency empowers governments to put through policies they would not normally be permitted to do for the safety and protection of citizens. Such emergencies can be created by natural disasters, civil unrest, armed conflict or a medical pandemic or epidemic.
Once a declaration has been issued, NJOEM may call on various private agencies like the Red Cross and The Salvation Army to fulfill critical missions. Volunteer groups such as Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service also assist with communications and search and rescue operations.
NJOEM may also deploy State resources, including vehicles and equipment, for disaster relief and to respond to a variety of threats. Such responses are often coordinated with local government officials and community organizations.
The President can make regulations during a state of emergency that may infringe upon some rights enshrined in the Constitution, such as freedom of speech and movement, but only to the extent necessary to deal with the current crisis. The President must impose these restrictions in accordance with the principles of legality, proclamation, notification, time limitation, exceptional threat and proportionality.
The state of emergency can be lifted by the President at any time, but the same conditions must exist as before if it is to be renewed for another period. It is possible for a president to renew an old emergency that was declared before he assumed office, and some national emergencies have lasted for decades. In 1973, a Senate committee found that there were four such ongoing emergencies still in effect. The National Emergencies Act of 1976 set the stage for these to end, by requiring that they be reviewed every year.
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