National Catastrophe Relief Auxiliary

The National Catastrophe Relief Auxiliary, abbreviated as NCRA, was a Federal agency tasked with disaster relief operations within the United States in the event of a major catastrophe or war.

Pre-War
In the years before the Great War, the National Catastrophe Relief Auxiliary established an automated government aid drop system. In the event of a national emergency, authorized NCRA personnel could use US Government supply requisition holotapes at Emergency Broadcast Terminals found at relay towers to summon airborne supply drops, which were delivered by cargobots. This system allowed the efficient delivery of emergency supplies in the event of a complete breakdown in the human-run supply chain.

It is highly probable that the U.S government was aware of the oncoming attack, as stated in Nancy Kroydon's log. NCRA units mobilized in the early evening on October 22 and deployed throughout the Greater Washington area. The NCRA remained on alert in the event of a catastrophe. The cause of the mobilization was kept secret from even the presiding officers of each unit, but rumors spread of an imminent Chinese attack.

On October 23 the Great War erupted and Washington, D.C. was hit by several nuclear bombs. One National Catastrophe Relief Auxiliary unit was on evacuation assignment on the Belt Loop. Units farther from D.C were spared from the immediate blasts, including Response Unit MD-478 commanded by Presiding Officer Nancy Kroydon which was deployed to Germantown. Surviving response units now began to oversee the evacuation of civilians and the medical treatment of injured and radiation poison victims at their designated evacuation centers.

Post-War
Almost immediately following the nuclear exchange, the National Catastrophe Relief Auxiliary became overwhelmed by the number of injured and radiation victims, desertions and lack of supplies. The agency, like the rest of the federal government and the military, disintegrated and ceased to exist as the chain of command collapsed and personnel fell victim to the nuclear fallout or deserted.

Twenty-five years after the Great War, in 2102, the NCRA's automated government aid drop system continued to function in Appalachia, and was repeatedly utilized by the residents of Vault 76.

Appearances
The National Catastrophe Relief Auxiliary is mentioned in Fallout 3 and Fallout 76.

Behind the scenes
The National Catastrophe Relief Auxiliary appears to be the fictional equivalent of the real-world FEMA.