(a) “Major disaster” means any hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, earthquake, drought, fire, or other catastrophe in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President, is or threatens to be of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant disaster assistance by the Federal Government to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, local governments, and relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby, and with respect to which the Governor of any State in which such catastrophe occurs or threatens to occur certifies the need for Federal disaster assistance under Pub. L. 91–606 and gives assurance of the expenditure of a reasonable amount of the funds of such State, its local governments, or other agencies for alleviating the damage, loss, hardship or suffering resulting from such catastrophe;

(b) "United States" means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands;

(c) "State" means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands;

(d) "Governor" means the chief executive of any State;

(e) "Local government" means any county, city, village, town, district, or other political subdivision of any State, and includes any rural community or unincorporated town or village for which an application for assistance is made by a State or political subdivision thereof; (f) "Federal agency" means any department, independent establishment, Government corporation, or other agency of the executive branch of the Federal Government, except the American National Red Cross;

(g) "Administrator" means the Administrator, Federal Disaster Assistance Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development. (h) "Public facility"

includes any flood control, navigation, irrigation, reclamation, public power, sewage treatment and collection, water supply and distribution, watershed development, or airport facility, any non-Federal-aid street, road, or highway, and any other public building, structure, or system, other than one used exclusively for recreation purposes;

(i) "Regional Director" means a director of a regional office of the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration.

(j) "Federal Coordinating Officer" is the person appointed by the Administrator to operate under the Regional Director to coordinate Federal assistance in a major disaster;

(k) "State Coordinating Officer" is the person appointed by the Governor in the Federal-State Disaster Assistance Agreement as his authorized representative to act in cooperation with the Federal Coordinating Officer appointed under section 201 of the Act;

(1) "Contractor" is any individual, partnership, corporation, agency, or other entity, public or private (other than an organization engaged in the business of insurance) performing work for a State or local agency;

(m) "Damages" include suffering and hardship and physical destruction or deterioration;

(n) "Federal assistance" includes aid to disaster victims or State or local governments under provisions of the Act by Federal agencies;

(o) "Termination" as used in this part, means completion of eligible work to be accomplished and therefore the end of the need for Federal assistance;

(p) "Projects under construction" are those projects on which work has physically been initiated but not yet completed to the extent that the project has been accepted by the applicant;

such terms are defined in section 645 of the Public Health Service Act, and any similar facility offering diagnosis or treatment of mental or physical injury or disease, including the administrative and support facilities essential to the operating of such medical care facilities although not contiguous thereto. As used throughout this regulation, the term "medical care facility" refers to a private, nonprofit facility, owned by a tax exempt organization.

(t) "Tax exempt organization" means an organization or entity which has applied for, and currently has in effect from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, a ruling letter granting tax exemption under section 501 (c), (d), or (e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

(u) "Disaster proofing" consists of those minimum alterations or modifications to damaged facilities which could be expected to prevent or substantially reduce future damages to the repaired or reconstructed facility; i.e., to make the facility disaster resistant. The cost of disaster proofing measures is limited to a small percentage of otherwise eligible costs.

(v) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

(w) The following definitions apply to the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973:

(1) "Financial assistance" means any form of loan, grant, guaranty, insurance, payment, rebate, subsidy, disaster assistance loan or grant, or any other form of direct or indirect Federal financial assistance, other than general or special revenue sharing or formula grants made to States.

(2) "Financial assistance for acquisition or construction purposes" means any form of Federal financial assistance which is intended in whole or in part for the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, repair, or improvement of any publicly or privately owned building or mobile home, and for any machinery, equipment, fixtures, and furnishings contained or to be contained therein.

(3) "Building" means a walled and roofed structure, other than a gas or liquid storage tank, that is fully enclosed and affixed to a permanent site.

(4) "Community" means a State or political subdivision thereof which has zoning and building code jurisdiction over a particular area having special flood hazards. Unincorporated communities or private non-profit medical care