The Infrastructure Group's primary objectives are to administer the State's Public Assistance Program, provide customer service to political subdivisions of the State, and to provide education and training regarding infrastructure recovery matters. Following an event, the Infrastructure Group administers the Governor's Emergency Fund and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants to eligible public entities for the repair and restoration of damaged public facilities within a declared disaster area.

The Public Assistance Program provides support to state agencies and political subdivisions of the State in repairing damaged public infrastructure when recovering from any State declared disaster.

The Governor may proclaim a state of emergency after a political subdivision has passed a resolution stating that an emergency exists within their jurisdiction(s) AND have been able to demonstrate that the incident is above and beyond their capability to recover from without assistance from the State. Through a proclamation the Governor may provide Public Assistance to the affected Political Subdivision(s) of the state (counties, cities, towns, state agencies). Public Assistance is provided through the Governor’s Emergency Fund which is allocated $4 million dollars annually to cover the costs of emergencies and disasters. Emergency Management's Grant Administration administers this fund.

When a disaster is beyond the capability of the State and local governments, the Governor will request federal assistance from FEMA through the President of the United States. The recovery process for a single event is not complete until all work has been completed, inspected, documentation audited and final payment disbursed. Once the recovery process for a single event is complete the declared disaster is terminated.

For COVID-19 specific guidance, please see https://dema.az.gov/covid19-public-Assistance