From CBRCA: Does Canada need a national emergency response agency?
Questions swirl amid federal response to the Jasper wildfire

See the newly revised guide titled: Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program and Policy Guide“

“FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) programs provide funding for eligible mitigation activities that protect life and property from future disaster damage to build a more resilient nation.

FEMA has released the 2024 HMA Program and Policy Guide (HMA Guide). This release reflects policy changes and stakeholder feedback received since the 2023 HMA Guide publication.

The HMA Guide provides helpful information for prospective applicants and subapplicants from state, local, tribal and territorial governments on the application and grant processes for four hazard mitigation grant programs.”

New Report from the Gov. Accounting Office: COVID-19: Lessons Can Help Agencies Better Prepare for Future Emergencies

From the Bipartisan Policy Center: Status of Federal Disaster Assistance Funding

“Despite ongoing disaster recovery efforts and urgent hurricane and wildfire-related risks, several federal disaster assistance programs again face an uncertain fiscal outlook. Outlined below are the Biden administration’s outstanding requests for supplemental disaster funding, the key programs such funding would support, and the implications of delayed funding for disaster-impacted communities.”

From the Congressional Research Service: Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery. (3 pp)

From the Congressional Research Service, this report on the Disaster Relief Fund State of Play. (13 pp)

From HSToday, an article and a link to a book: Transforming the Business of Government – Insights on Resiliency, Innovation, and Performance:

From FastCompany: This study shows where the highest concentration of FEMA disaster areas are, and it’s not where you think. Disasters along the coasts get all the exposure, but extreme storms are happening all the time in hot spots like Vermont, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

“What the data tell us is that the frequency and severity of disasters at local-state scales is increasing with rural, suburban, and urban places being affected nationwide,” Susan Cutter, co-director of the Hazards Vulnerability and Resilience Institute at the University of South Carolina, said in an email. She wasn’t part of Chester’s research. “More needs to be done to enhance resilience to reduce their impacts on people.”

New Report From the National Academy of Sciences that is free to download:
(1) Intensifying Pace and Severity of Extreme Events Increases Risks of Compounding Disasters and Demands Rethinking of U.S. Emergency Management.

From insideclimatenews: As States Recover from Climate-Related Disasters, They Also Must Prepare for Future Ones,

“New policies for flooding and wildfires could help people prepare for future damages.
This summer has brought a revolving door of climate-fueled disasters across the U.S.—from Hurricane Beryl in Houston to the wildfires tearing through California.

But what happens in the aftermath of these extreme weather events? For many states, recovery is no longer just about trying to return to normal, but rather rebuilding to prepare for future disasters as climate change accelerates.

A recent string of federal policies and a growing push from the insurance industry has made climate-minded disaster recovery more urgent than ever before, experts say.”