---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 5132"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "5132"
heading: "Disaster warnings"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/5132"
units:
  - "Chapter 68 — Disaster Relief"
  - "Subchapter II — Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Assistance"
---

# §5132. Disaster warnings

- (a) **Readiness of Federal agencies to issue warnings to State and local officials—** The President shall insure that all appropriate [Federal agencies](/usc/42/5122.md?p=9) are prepared to issue warnings of [disasters](/usc/42/5204.md?p=2) to [State](/usc/42/5122.md?p=4) and local officials.
- (b) **Technical assistance to State and local governments for effective warnings—** The President shall direct appropriate [Federal agencies](/usc/42/5122.md?p=9) to provide technical assistance to [State](/usc/42/5122.md?p=4) and [local governments](/usc/42/5122.md?p=8) to insure that timely and effective [disaster](/usc/42/5204.md?p=2) warning is provided.
- (c) **Warnings to governmental authorities and public endangered by disaster—** The President is authorized to utilize or to make available to Federal, [State](/usc/42/5122.md?p=4), and local [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) the [facilities](/usc/42/5195a.md?p=a-6) of the civil [defense](/usc/42/5195a.md?p=b) communications system established and maintained pursuant to [section 5196(c) of this title](/usc/42/5196.md?p=c) or any other Federal communications system for the purpose of providing warning to governmental authorities and the civilian population in areas endangered by [disasters](/usc/42/5204.md?p=2).
- (d) **Agreements with commercial communications systems for use of facilities—** The President is authorized to enter into agreements with the officers or agents of any private or commercial communications systems who volunteer the use of their systems on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis for the purpose of providing warning to governmental authorities and the civilian population endangered by [disasters](/usc/42/5204.md?p=2).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 93–288, title II, § 202, May 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 145; Pub. L. 103–337, div. C, title XXXIV, § 3412(b)(1), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 3111.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1994—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–337 substituted “section 5196(c) of this title” for “section 2281(c) of title 50, Appendix,”.