Who is Responsible for Local Government Emergency Shelters in North Carolina?
June 26, 2026 update: I made changes to the post below related to discussing resources for learning more about local government emergency shelters, including by flagging some further resources.
Responsibility for local government emergency shelters may be a point of confusion or interest to officials and staff in North Carolina local governments. They may wonder whether a specific part of local government, like a local emergency management agency, department of social services, or department of public health, or any specific person is directed under the law to take on emergency-shelter-related activities. This post will break down law (and the lack of general guiding law) related to this area. Here is the bottom line: I am not aware of a clear, general legal answer to the question of who is responsible for local government emergency shelters. What happens in this area may depend more on local policies, procedures, plans, or judgments than on any state or federal requirement.
Scope of the Post
Emergency shelters might be opened and staffed by an entity other than a local government. The Wake County, North Carolina Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan discusses the American Red Cross’s opening and staffing emergency shelters, for instance. This post focuses on addressing who is responsible for emergency shelters that local governments are providing themselves. The post will not focus on emergency shelters that other entities provide or on non-emergency shelters.
General Authority to Operate a Local Government Emergency Shelter
As background, the North Carolina Emergency Management Act (“EMA”), a major state law explaining local government emergency management powers, does not require local governments to provide emergency shelters; in fact, it barely mentions the term “shelter” at all. See generally G.S. 166A, Article 1A (including the word “shelter” twice). The EMA also does not even explicitly state that local governments may provide emergency shelters. See generally G.S. 166A, Article 1A (not explicitly authorizing emergency shelters).
But the EMA contains broader language that does appear to give local governments power to provide emergency shelters:
Local governments are allowed “[t]o appropriate and expend funds, make contracts, obtain and distribute equipment, materials, and supplies for emergency management purposes and to provide for the health and safety of persons and property, including emergency assistance, consistent with this Article [the EMA].” G.S. 166A-19.15(f). Interpreting this power to include authority to set up shelters, run them, and provide “supplies” within them “to provide for the health and safety of persons” seems reasonable and “consistent with” the EMA. See G.S. 166A-19.15(f); G.S. 166A-19.3(8); G.S. 166A-19.1.
Additionally, local governments are allowed “[t]o direct and coordinate the development of emergency management… programs in accordance with the policies and standards set by the Division [of Emergency Management], consistent with federal and State laws and regulations.” G.S. 166A-19.15(f). Emergency shelters also seem like they might be part of such “emergency management… programs.” See G.S. 166A-19.15(f); G.S. 166A-19.3(8).
Lack of General Rule for Who is Responsible for Local Government Emergency Shelters
However, the EMA does not seem to contain definitive rules about who would deal with specific tasks related to any local government emergency shelters. And no such general guidance seems to appear elsewhere in emergency management law.
Readers could consult this section of the post for more detail on this lack of guidance and how local-level emergency management might be organized. Readers could also move directly to the next section, “So How Might I Find Out Who Deals with My Local Government’s Emergency Shelters?” for potential help with getting information on how emergency shelters work in their jurisdictions.
No Specific Emergency Shelter Responsibilities for the Governing Board or an Emergency Management Agency
While the EMA discusses emergency management roles for certain governing boards and local emergency management agencies, the EMA does not specifically charge them with managing emergency shelters.
The EMA does give “[t]he governing body of each county,” the board of county commissioners (or “board” in this post), a role in broadly overseeing local emergency management. G.S. 166A-19.15(a); G.S. 153A-34. The EMA states that “[t]he governing body of each county is responsible for emergency management within the geographical limits of such county. All emergency management efforts within the county will be coordinated by the county, including activities of the municipalities within the county.” G.S. 166A-19.15(a). But this language describes an overall responsibility and coordinating role and is not an explicit mandate for the board to take on the day-to-day details of this emergency management activity, like emergency shelter operation; the board might instead set overall policies and structure the county government to address emergency management affairs. See G.S. 153A-12; G.S. 153A-76.
Municipal governing bodies do not have this emergency management coordination role for the whole county. See G.S. 166A-19.15. But they might play a similar role to county boards in exercising overall local government power and setting up their local government structure to address emergency management matters; in other words, they may work on emergency management at a high level, but the EMA does not specifically task them with dealing with emergency shelters. Compare G.S. 153A-12 and G.S. 153A-76 with G.S. 160A-12 and G.S. 160A-146; see generally G.S. 166A, Article 1A (not giving municipal governing boards responsibility for day-to-day emergency shelter operations).
The EMA does give some additional guidance on how emergency management might be integrated into the rest of a local government’s organizational structure. See G.S. 166A-19.15. But this guidance does not definitively show that a particular group is responsible for emergency-shelter-related tasks. A county board is allowed, but not mandated, to “establish and maintain an emergency management agency” for certain emergency-management-related reasons. G.S. 166A-19.15. When “[t]he governing body of [a] county” does so, it “shall appoint a coordinator who will have a direct responsibility for the organization, administration, and operation of the county program and will be subject to the direction and guidance of such governing body.” G.S. 166A-19.15(b). In practice, this “coordinator” might be a professional emergency manager. Municipalities are also allowed “to establish and maintain emergency management agencies” and might have their own emergency coordinators. See G.S. 166A-19.15(c). But their agencies are still “subject to coordination by the county.” Id. Additionally, local governments might “form joint emergency management agencies” with certain specified combinations of counties and municipalities. G.S. 166A-19.15(d). But the law here does not specifically place responsibility for emergency shelters with any emergency management agencies. See generally G.S. 166A-19.15 (not mentioning responsibility for emergency shelters for emergency management agencies).
No Specific Emergency Shelter Responsibilities for an Emergency Coordinator or Others
Additionally, the EMA does not appear to charge any specific person or any other part of local government with dealing with emergency shelters.
Based on the information above, readers might question this claim. They might, in particular, wonder why an “emergency coordinator” would not be responsible for dealing with any emergency shelters that a local government provides.
First, remember that a local government might not have an emergency coordinator anyway; the EMA section noted above does not mandate that local governments have one. See G.S. 166A-19.15. Second, the law allowing municipal or joint emergency management agencies also does not give any specific responsibility to any individual, let alone responsibility for emergency shelters. See G.S. 166A-19.15(c), (d).
But readers might especially wonder about the statement that any county “[emergency]… coordinator… will have a direct responsibility for the organization, administration, and operation of the county program and will be subject to the direction and guidance of [the] governing body.” G.S. 166A-19.15(b). As discussed above, shelters might well be part of that “county program.” And given this language, the law does seem to allow county emergency coordinators to address emergency shelters as part of their work. So if counties do have emergency coordinators, would they not be required to deal with all aspects of emergency shelters in a county program?
This part of the EMA does not appear to go that far. The text does not seem to say that any emergency coordinators must take on all emergency-shelter-related tasks in a county program. The text says that a county emergency coordinator has “a direct responsibility” related to setting up and running “the county program.” G.S. 166A-19.15(b) (emphasis added). The law does not seem to say that emergency coordinators have the only direct responsibility in this area. And the law does not seem to say that emergency coordinators handle all individual aspects of a county’s emergency management program. Additionally, the law specifies that the emergency coordinator is “subject to the direction and guidance of [the] governing body.” G.S. 166A-19.15(b). So perhaps someone else would deal with emergency shelters. The emergency coordinator might even receive “direction and guidance” from the board that someone else should deal with them, letting the emergency coordinator focus more on running the overall program. G.S. 166A-19.15(b).
Additionally, the rest of the EMA does not appear to create any specific requirement for the emergency coordinator—or any other specific person or any specific part of a local government—to deal with emergency-shelter-related activities. See generally G.S. 166A, Article 1A (not providing definitive guidance on responsibility for local government emergency shelters). And no other emergency management authority generally applicable to local governments seems to require a particular person or part of the local government to take charge.
So How Might I Find Out Who Deals with My Local Government’s Emergency Shelters?
State and federal emergency management law might not require any particular person or part of a local government to address local government emergency shelter activities; however, a local document might explain who does so at a specific local government. One such document could be a local government’s Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). An EOP might describe a local government’s overall intended approach to addressing an emergency before the emergency occurs; as the emergency is happening; and once the emergency ends. Some of that description might include outlining what steps certain specific personnel are supposed to take, including related to emergency shelters. As an example of this last point, the 2022 Carteret County Emergency Operations Plan describes specific shelter-related responsibilities for their Emergency Services Director, Social Services Director, and Health Department Director, among others. Local government officials or staff wondering who in their jurisdictions addresses emergency shelters might find answers in their own plans, policies, or procedures.
Who Should Be Involved with a Local Government’s Emergency Shelter, Not in Terms of Legal Requirements but as a Matter of Policy or Best Practices?
Professional emergency managers or people with policy expertise related to emergency shelters may be able to give guidance in this area. Of course, municipalities in particular might not always have many staff members with special emergency management expertise. But as stated in the last section, the county’s board “is responsible for emergency management within the geographical limits of such county,” and the county helps coordinate even municipal emergency management efforts “within the county.” G.S. 166A-19.15. So municipalities might still turn to county personnel for help.
I am Involved with Tasks Related to My Local Government’s Emergency Shelter. Where Might I Get More Information on How Local Government Emergency Shelters Work?
This post focused more on who deals with local government emergency shelters than what those people do. But readers curious about that first point may also be curious about the second. Note that resources in this area listed below may become outdated or updated.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides a more general on-demand independent study course on shelter operation. That course might provide a starting place for someone to learn about running a local government emergency shelter.
FEMA also has a publication called Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans that discusses shelter-related considerations in EOPs. The publication does not appear to offer an opinion on who specifically should take on shelter-related tasks at local governments. But the publication might help someone creating or revising shelter-related portions of their local government’s EOP.
North Carolina Emergency Management has a State Sheltering Guide that provides guidance on emergency shelter staffing arrangements; outlines potential staff roles; provides a checklist related to emergency shelter accessibility considerations; and links to several other resources about accessibility in emergency shelters. That guide might provide a reference for local governments. The state’s Emergency Operations Plan also may provide background on state emergency shelter activities and how the state might work with local governments in the shelter space.
The North Carolina Division of Public Health (NCDPH) has a “Disaster/Shelter Resources” page that links to several resources that might help with local emergency shelters. NCDPH has another page focused on emergency shelters that provides links to further guidance documents and handouts, largely related to health considerations.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services has a “Companion Animal Resources” page that links to resources related to emergency shelter for animals.
Again, local government staff might also have access to emergency management professionals or personnel with expertise in operating shelters, who might provide other guidance. As noted above, municipalities especially might have limited expertise in this area. But beyond consulting internally, municipal staff could turn to county personnel with relevant expertise for help.
In local-government-provided emergency shelters, local governments might be working with outside volunteers. My colleague, Becca Fisher-Gabbard, has written a post providing general information about emergency management liability issues that might apply to working with outside volunteers.
Additionally, local governments might be considering using mutual aid agreements to help provide resources for emergency shelters. See G.S. 166A-19.72. My colleague, Kara Millonzi, has written a post discussing using mutual aid for emergencies.
Finally, local government officials or staff might also have questions about specific legal issues that their local governments might face related to emergency shelters. Those officials or staff might consider speaking with a local government attorney supporting their jurisdiction.