Wildfire Management: Technologies for Forecasting, Detection, Mitigation, and Response. GAO-25-108589

From the NYTimes: As FEMA Shrinks, a Grassroots Disaster Response is Taking Shape. Aid groups, some of which helped after Hurricane Helene, are preparing to take on more responsibility when storms, floods and wildfires strike.

“The bigger the gap is in terms of what the government isn’t doing, the more we’re going to expect from nonprofits and the larger their role is going to be,” said Daniel Sledge, a professor at the University of Oklahoma who has studied disaster relief. “Whether nonprofits actually have the capacity or the ability to step in and fill in the gaps that, in all likelihood, we’re going to be creating is a completely different question.”

From the Advocate: Trump’s plan to shutter FEMA leaves U.S. ‘more vulnerable,’ says former head of agency

“Criswell told The Advocate in an interview that the Trump administration’s plan would strip away not only FEMA’s high-profile disaster response efforts but also the underlying infrastructure that helps local and state governments prepare for, survive, and recover from catastrophic events.

“It’s important to remember the mission statement of FEMA—to help people before, during, and after disasters,” she said. While state and local emergency managers already carry significant responsibility, they rely heavily on FEMA funding to maintain preparedness. “They get funding through training, through exercises, through preparedness grants that help them buy equipment,” she explained, citing programs such as fire department grants and the Emergency Management Performance Grant.”

From The Conversation: How to stay safe during heat waves – and the heat stroke warning signs to watch for

From Yale Climate Connections: FEMA is unprepared for the next Hurricane Katrina, disaster experts warn.

“Cuts, chaos, and climate change are converging to leave Americans more vulnerable to disaster than they were in 2005”

From HSNW: Solutions for Flood Recovery and Resilience.

https://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20250619-researchers-offer-hardhit-communities-solutions-for-flood-recovery-and-resilience

From the Baltimore Banner: Alas, poor FEMA. We knew you well.

“President Donald Trump set Nov. 30 as the date he’ll feed the Federal Emergency Management Agency into his government wood chipper.”

From CBS News: FEMA pulls $150 million from South Florida flood projects, sparking community outcry
“Hundreds of thousands of South Florida homes already vulnerable to flooding are now left even more exposed after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) abruptly canceled $150 million in grants meant to upgrade aging flood infrastructure.”

“FEMA’s decision to terminate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and revoke all pending grant applications from fiscal years 2020 to 2023 has halted flood control upgrades in several communities.”

“The agency called the move an effort to reduce waste and realign with executive priorities.”

From Politico: Florida plans for peak hurricane season amid storm of FEMA reforms

Despite the state’s experience and expertise, Florida has historically has relied on tens of billions of recovery dollars provided by FEMA.

From The Hill: Trump and Noem detail planned FEMA changes: ‘We’re going to give out less money’

President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem detailed changes they hope to make to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), indicating they intend to eliminate the agency “as it exists today” and to dole out less money to states that are hit by disasters.