Under the Stafford Act there are two presidential declaration types: an "emergency" declaration and a "major disaster" declaration. An emergency declaration authorizes limited federal assistance (mainly emergency protective measures and debris removal — Public Assistance Categories A and B) to save lives and protect property and is typically limited in scope and funding (statute caps assistance in a single emergency). A major disaster declaration is for events causing damage of such severity that state/local resources are overwhelmed; it unlocks a much broader suite of federal programs (wide-ranging Individual Assistance, Public Assistance Categories A–G including permanent work, and Hazard Mitigation grants) and usually supports longer-term recovery.