The State of Emergency (also known as the State of War or the General State of Siege) is a declaration issued by the government in order to suspend regular political and social functions in a given jurisdiction due to a crisis situation. It gives the government broad powers to take control of the country and impose strict regulations and curfews on civilians. In the United States, a state of emergency may also activate an array of federal programs to assist with disaster response and recovery efforts.
There are several reasons why a state of emergency may be declared, such as natural disasters like floods and hurricanes, major public health crises such as disease epidemics, and terrorist attacks. The state of emergency can give the governor additional authority to manage the situation, including allowing for the transfer of funds from other state agencies to aid in the response and recovery efforts.
After a state of emergency is declared, the governor will notify NJOEM, who then puts the State Emergency Operations Plan into effect and activates the State Emergency Operations Center. The governor can also reactivate certain federal disaster programs that were previously suspended.
When the President declares a state of emergency, it empowers him to make regulations that may infringe upon the rights enshrined in sections 4 and 5 of the Constitution, as long as they are “reasonably justifiable for the purpose of dealing with the situation that exists during that period.”