The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) is a mutual aid agreement and partnership between states and territories. It exists because states share a common enemy: the constant threat and occurrence of natural and man-made disasters as well as the threat of terrorism. EMAC, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact started by former Florida Governor Lawton Chiles, is a national interstate mutual aid agreement that enables states to share resources during times of disaster. Since the 104th Congress ratified the compact in 1996 (PL-104-321), EMAC has grown to become the nation's system for providing mutual aid through operational procedures and protocols that have been validated during disasters where assistance was provided under the Compact. To become a member of EMAC, each stat