Author Archives: recoverydiva

“While Trump Overhalls FEMA,MS Tornado Survivors Await Assistance”

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From ABC News: While Trump overhauls FEMA, Mississippi tornado survivors await assistance

Mississippi’s request for federal disaster assistance is pending more than two months after 18 tornados ripped through the state, killing seven and damaging hundreds of homes

“I don’t know what you got to do or what you got to have to be able to be declared for a federal disaster area because this is pretty bad,” Lowery said. “We can’t help you because, whatever, we’re waiting on a letter; we’re waiting on somebody to sign his name. You know, all that. I’m just over it.”

Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves asked the Trump administration for a major disaster declaration on April 1 after 18 tornadoes tore through the state on March 14 and 15, leaving seven people dead and hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged.

Large No. of Leaders Urge DHS/FEMA to Reinstate BRIC Grant Program

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From HSToday: 86 Leaders Urge DHS, FEMA to Reinstate BRIC Grant Program

“A bipartisan group of 86 congressional leaders has sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FEMA’s Acting Administrator David Richardson, urging the immediate reinstatement of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program.

The letter emphasizes the importance of BRIC in helping communities nationwide prepare for and recover from extreme weather.”

Another Hurdle for States Seeking Emergency Preparedness Funding

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From HS Today: Multiple Attorney General’s Sue DHS to Protect Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Funding

“New York Attorney General Letitia James and 19 other attorneys general have filed a lawsuit challenging new U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conditions that link emergency management and disaster relief funding to state immigration enforcement policies, as stated in a press release on May 13. According to the coalition, the DHS conditions require states to take certain immigration enforcement actions in order to receive emergency preparedness funding.

The lawsuit alleges that these new conditions unlawfully tie federal funding to immigration cooperation. The attorneys general are seeking a court order to declare these conditions unlawful and to maintain access to federal funds for emergency management efforts.:

“FEMA Prepares for Disasters Worse than Hurricanes”

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That is the title of an article in the Wall St. Journal on May 14. It is a reminder that more than the ability to help respond to and recovery from natural disasters is the responsibility of FEMA.

I do not have a subscription and cannot violate their copyright, so you will have to find a way to access the compelling article.  Another argument for not attempting to abolish the agency!

New Report on How States Can Build Disaster-Ready Budgets

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New report from PewTrusts: How States Can Build Disaster-Ready Budgets
Strategies for reducing fiscal risks in the face of rising costs

“Policymakers at every level of government are grappling with the rising costs of storms, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters and how best to aid affected communities. As disasters have grown in frequency and severity, so too has the strain on public finances and the urgency to update budgeting practices, especially in the states, to help public officials plan for changing spending needs.

A series of studies from The Pew Charitable Trusts from 2018 to 2022 examined how states manage the fiscal impact of natural disasters, including their spending practices, funding mechanisms, and risk reduction (mitigation) investments. The research revealed that data on public disaster spending is lacking, that states’ typical budgeting approaches have not adapted to recent disaster trends, and that efforts to reduce loss of life and property, which could help control rising costs in the long term, are inconsistently and insufficiently funded.

As a result of these findings, along with lessons learned from observations of state practices and conversations with public finance and emergency management practitioners, Pew developed a set of strategies that state budget officials can adopt to improve disaster budgeting.”

More Background on Current FEMA Dilemma

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From The Hill: Trump wants to make natural disaster victims a state problem
With weather catastrophes becoming more common in the United States these days, communities have counted on two facts.

“First, the federal government has their backs. When state and local resources are insufficient for disaster response and recovery, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) arrives to help. That has been true since President Jimmy Carter created the agency in 1979.

Second, FEMA’s help will be frustrating. Federal assistance will never arrive quickly enough, last long enough, or provide enough resources for people who are traumatized, homeless, without possessions, uninsured and uprooted from schools, neighborhoods and social networks. FEMA’s job is often thankless, but it’s always needed.

However, disaster victims may not be able to count on FEMA much longer. President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have indicated they want the agency to “go away.” More recently, Noem said she will “reorient” the agency. Trump has appointed her to co-chair a FEMA Review Council to “streamline” FEMA so it “delivers rapid, efficient, and mission-focused relief to Americans in need.”

But the administration is not waiting; Trump dismissed the acting head of FEMA last week. He and Noem have pulled billions of dollars out of the agency’s programs to help communities become more disaster resilient, even though the World Economic Forum says effective adaptation strategies can deliver an investment return of $43 per dollar spent. The government says it will no longer track the growing number and cost of big weather disasters.

Trump has also decimated climate science and forecasting at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last month he dismissed 400 volunteer scientists who analyze and periodically report on anticipated climate impacts in each U.S. region.

Everyone agrees that FEMA, and federal disaster programs generally, need reform. More than 60 disaster programs are scattered across more than 30 federal entities. In recent years, stakeholders and expert organizations have flooded the zone with ideas to improve the government’s disaster responses. The Review Council can benefit from recommendations by the Association of State Floodplain Managers, Harvard Law School, Pew Charitable Trusts, Brookings, the Government Accountability Office, FEMA’s planners and others.”