From NPR: Trump wants states to handle disasters. States aren’t prepared.

President Trump has signed an executive order directing state and local governments to “play a more active and significant role” in preparing for disasters. For months, Trump has said he’s considering getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the country’s disaster response arm.

“I say you don’t need FEMA, you need a good state government,” Trump said while visiting the Los Angeles fires in January. “FEMA is a very expensive, in my opinion, mostly failed situation.”

But emergency management experts say Trump’s order technically wouldn’t do much to shift responsibility. Currently, local and state governments are already in charge of disasters. The question is whether the Trump administration will begin withdrawing the federal resources and funding that states rely on.”

From FireRescue1: Congress, fire officials warn FEMA: Halting National Fire Academy training puts public safety at risk.

“Former fire administrators warn that suspending in-person NFA firefighter training weakens disaster preparedness and emergency response.”

From E&E News:

A new executive order to create a national resilience plan signals that the president wants to overhaul disaster response while maintaining a federal role.

It reads like a routine government memo that’s laden with grandiose promises.

But the little-noticed executive order released by the White House on Tuesday is perhaps the clearest signal that President Donald Trump is stepping back from his threats to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The order assured some disaster experts and officials that Trump could mean to spare the agency at a time of growing damage from extreme weather, and opt instead to overhaul the nation’s response to disasters.

From Reuters: Trump Signs Order to Shift Disaster Preparations from FEMA to State and Local Governments.

“President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that seeks to shift responsibility for disaster preparations to state and local governments, deepening his drive to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The order, first previewed by the White House on March 10, calls for a review of all infrastructure, continuity, and preparedness and response policies to update and simplify federal approaches.”

It said “common sense” investments by state and local governments to address risks ranging from wildfires to hurricanes and cyber attacks would enhance national security, but did not detail what they were or how they would be funded.
“Preparedness is most effectively owned and managed at the state, local, and even individual levels, supported by a competent, accessible, and efficient federal government,” the order said. “When states are empowered to make smart infrastructure choices, taxpayers benefit.”

From the WashPost: Fears of a Drawn-Out Recovery Hang over N.C.

“The specter of a drawn-out recovery looms large in the state, where officials seem determined to move quicker after Helene and avoid the mistakes of the past, even as North Carolina faces the most massive disaster recovery in its history.

For all the desire to get western North Carolina back on its feet, the shared goal to move quickly is colliding with the reality that disaster recovery is almost always frustrating, tedious and too costly for most states and localities to bear without a significant assist from the federal government.”

From Axios: These states could suffer the most without FEMA . Some of the most disaster-prone states could face the greatest financial burdens in a world with less federal relief assistance, a new analysis finds.

“Why it matters: President Trump earlier this year floated “fundamentally overhauling or reforming” FEMA, or “maybe getting rid” of it entirely — fueling concerns that U.S. disaster relief could be thrown into chaos just a few months before another hurricane season spins up.

Driving the news: Trump is reportedly mulling an executive order empowering state and local governments to handle disaster readiness and relief, and previously created a “FEMA review council.”

Certain states — many of them red — would be hit especially hard by reductions in federal relief funding, per a new analysis from the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database.”

From the Wash Post: Trump vowed to help the N.C. mountains rebuild after Helene. Frustration remains. After Hurricane Helene, a small crew of resident disaster responders went viral for attacking FEMA. Trump officials jumped to attention.

“The lingering frustration across parts of 27 hurricane-hit counties in North Carolina’s Appalachian mountain region speaks to the complexity of rebuilding in a place dotted with Federal Emergency Management Agency centers — but people say they feel abandoned. Trump and his allies have blasted President Joe Biden’s response, feeding an online frenzy that has portrayed FEMA’s response as disastrous”

From the WashPost: FEMA cancels firefighter training amid uncertainty over Trump cuts. FEMA said it was canceling National Fire Academy courses as it ensures its programs and budget fit Trump administration priorities.

Note: a few weeks ago FEMA canceled the annual conference on Emergency Management that had been offered for more than 20 years.

PERSPECTIVE: Future of FEMA
Testimony by Tim Manning at March 4th Congressional Hearing, in article from HSToday.

“FEMA has never been more called upon or its workforce more stretched thin. A growing frequency of catastrophic disasters and a once-in-a-century pandemic have had widespread impacts on emergency management writ large. This changing hazard landscape and operations tempo is now coupled with indiscriminate firings, regressive changes in policy, and freezes in funding resulting in significant impacts on the nation’s preparedness for emergencies, disasters, and potential terrorist attacks. And the impacts are far wider than just the Federal Emergency Management Agency; as we discuss the future of FEMA, I believe we must take a wider, holistic look at the key role FEMA plays in our Nation’s preparedness.”

From Scientific American: FEMA Disaster Aid Freeze Threatens ‘Acute Harm,’ Judge Rules. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trumps-fema-disaster-aid-freeze-threatens-acute-harm-judge-rules/

The Federal Emergency Management Agency must show in one week whether it is complying with a judge’s ruling Thursday that blocks the Trump administration from withholding grants and loans.

In a broad ruling on presidential powers, Chief Judge John McConnell of the Rhode Island District Court cited the withholding of FEMA disaster aid as an example of “acute harm” caused by a federal funding freeze.