Declaring a State of Emergency may sound threatening, however this is a formality that allows your government officials quick access to resources to help manage a crisis until things return to normal.
A State of Emergency also helps government officials take extra measures to protect the public, trigger anti-price gouging laws, and most importantly, seek State or Federal funding for disaster response and reimbursement of funds exhausted on things such as overtime costs and purchase of supplies and equipment needed to manage the emergency.
-Sabrina Robertson
County Manager's Office