state of emergency
Official government crisis
A state of emergency is a government declaration that suspends normal operations and grants extraordinary powers to address a crisis—natural disaster, civil unrest, public health threat, or war.
Constitutional protections may be curtailed and military resources deployed: The governor declared a state of emergency after the hurricane.
Critics note that such declarations can outlast the emergencies that prompted them.
Mandated return time
- lockdownEnforced restriction on movement
- quarantineIsolation preventing disease transmission
- travel banProhibition on journeys
- rationingLimiting distribution during scarcity
checkpoints · roadblocks · cordons · exclusion zone · no-fly zone · blackout · confinement · isolation
Armed forces governance
- decreeAuthoritative legal command
- executive orderBinding directive from leadership
- proclamationFormal public announcement
- declarationFormal public announcement
mandate · ordinance · suspension · powers · governor · president · enforcement · jurisdiction
Global disease outbreak
- earthquakeSeismic ground movement
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
- tsunamiSeismic sea surge
- hurricaneViolent tropical windstorm
wildfire · tornado · epidemic · outbreak · disaster · catastrophe · calamity · famine
Removal from danger
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- mobilizationOrganizing for action
- rescueSave from harm
- reliefEasing of distress
aid · first responders · national guard · troops · volunteers · shelters · supplies · triage
Protected place or structure
- barricadesStructures preventing passage
- sandbagsFilled sacks for barriers
- suppliesResources for a task
- stockpileAccumulated reserve supply
preparedness · resilience · safehouse · sanctuary · bunker · fortification · perimeter · barriers
curfew
Mandated return time
- lockdownEnforced restriction on movement
- quarantineIsolation preventing disease transmission
- travel banProhibition on journeys
rationing · checkpoints · roadblocks · cordons · exclusion zone · no-fly zone · blackout · confinement · isolation · movement restrictions
martial law
Armed forces governance
- decreeAuthoritative legal command
- executive orderBinding directive from leadership
- proclamationFormal public announcement
declaration · mandate · ordinance · suspension · powers · governor · president · enforcement · jurisdiction · authorization
pandemic
Global disease outbreak
- earthquakeSeismic ground movement
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
- tsunamiSeismic sea surge
hurricane · wildfire · tornado · epidemic · outbreak · disaster · catastrophe · calamity · famine · drought
evacuation
Removal from danger
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- mobilizationOrganizing for action
- rescueSave from harm
relief · aid · first responders · national guard · troops · volunteers · shelters · supplies · triage · humanitarian aid
shelter
Protected place or structure
- barricadesStructures preventing passage
- sandbagsFilled sacks for barriers
- suppliesResources for a task
stockpile · preparedness · resilience · safehouse · sanctuary · bunker · fortification · perimeter · barriers · security
immediate
Happening without delay
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
- direExtremely serious or urgent
- pressingRequiring immediate attention
expedite · swift · rapid · escalation · acute · grave · severe · imminent · exigent · time-sensitive
- health crisespandemic, epidemic, outbreak, AIDS epidemic, disease spread
- Apartheidapartheid, pass laws, Group Areas Act, passbook, passbooks
- epidemic controlquarantine zone, quarantine station, disease outbreak, outbreak, epidemic
- gubernatorial powersveto power, executive orders, clemency, pardons, pardon power
- political turmoilpolitical instability, power vacuum, coup d'etat, military coup, uprising
- public orderriot, public order, breach of peace, disorderly conduct, unlawful assembly
state of emergencyconstitutional order
System of supreme laws
rule of law · normalcy · business as usual · civil liberties · due process
state, emergency, estate, stated, states, restate, estates, overstate, stating