# Is flying the flag at half staff for disaster victims something new? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 16, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957 "2005-09-16T13:54:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/1 "2005-09-16T13:54:38Z")
I noticed the flags flying at half staff for the last week or so and wondered if that was to honor Rehnquist or the hurricane victims. Turns out it’s both. [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-2.html](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-2.html) [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-3.html](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-3.html) It’s certainly common practice to put flags at half staff upon the deaths of prominent government figures, but I’m not sure I remember doing so for disaster victims. What are the precedents for flying flags at half staff for disaster victims? Or is this something new? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/2 "2005-09-16T15:25:35Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > I noticed the flags flying at half staff for the last week or so and wondered if that was to honor Rehnquist or the hurricane victims. Turns out it’s both. > > [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-2.html](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-2.html) > [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-3.html](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-3.html) > > It’s certainly common practice to put flags at half staff upon the deaths of prominent government figures, but I’m not sure I remember doing so for disaster victims. What are the precedents for flying flags at half staff for disaster victims? Or is this something new? I don’t know but it can be run into the ground and probably will be. If this practice is continued seeing the flag a full staff will become the unusual thing. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/3 "2005-09-16T15:49:24Z")
Looking over a list of presidential [proclamations](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/proclamations/) I found: 9/11/01 - Flags at half-staff in honor of the victims of 9/11 2/1/03 - Flags at half-staff in honor of the Columbia explosion 1/1/05 - Flags at half-staff in honor of the victims of the Asian tsunami 9/4/05 - Flags at half-staff in honor of the victims of Katrina I found these searching under both “flag” and under “honor”. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/4 "2005-09-16T15:58:42Z")
The flew the flag at half-mast for the last episode of _Frasier_. The ritual has become entirely stripped of its meaning. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/5 "2005-09-16T16:17:18Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > The flew the flag at half-mast for the last episode of _Frasier_. The ritual has become entirely stripped of its meaning. Who’s “they?” Anybody can fly their flag however they want, but only the President orders the flag to half-staff for all federal buildings, military bases and embassies. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/6 "2005-09-16T16:46:10Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Who’s “they?” Anybody can fly their flag however they want, but only the President orders the flag to half-staff for all federal buildings, military bases and embassies. I have had a flag at home flown upside down since November, 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/7 "2005-09-18T05:29:33Z")
According to the United States [Flag Code](http://www.usflag.org/nffhalfstaff.html): > [@](#): > > by order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possesion, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff according to Presidential orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law. The governor of a state\* has similar authority to order the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff upon the death of a current or former official of said state’s government. Cabinet secretaries, legislators, mayors, and other officials – whether federal, state, or local – are given no such authority, regardless of the curcumstances. Similarly, **nobody** is expressly given authority to order the half-staff memorial honor for any American who never served as a government official. \*throughout this paragraph, the word “state” is shorthand for “state, territory, or possession” ---
**Author:** ![pilot141](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e0b2c6/32.png) [@pilot141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilot141)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/8 "2005-09-18T08:03:36Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > I have had a flag at home flown upside down since November, 2000. Yay, politics in GQ! And with no content to boot! ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flying-the-flag-at-half-staff-for-disaster-victims-something-new/321957/9 "2005-09-18T13:07:19Z")
When seven Guardsmen from Pennsylvania were killed in Iraq, Gov. Rendell [ordered the flags in PA to fly at half-staff](http://post-gazette.com/pg/05224/552895.stm). Governors can order that for state-level memorials. Robin