From The Hill: Lawmakers unveil bipartisan measure making FEMA its own Cabinet-level agency

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would make the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) its own Cabinet-level department, elevating its importance as natural disasters regularly thrust it into the national spotlight.

Moskowitz, who formerly headed Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, and Graves argued that bureaucratic red tape is hindering FEMA’s ability to respond rapidly.

By removing the agency from under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), they said in their press release, they hope to “drastically improve FEMA’s ability to prepare, respond, and recover.”

From Mother Jones: FEMA aims to help underserved communities prep for climate havoc

Though the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is best known for disaster response, it has emerged as perhaps the federal government’s most robust resource for preparing the country for the effects of a warming world. The agency has pumped billions of dollars into climate adaptation projects over the past few years, helping states and cities relocate flood-prone homes and harden infrastructure against wildfires.

But the agency’s infrastructure programs have drawn criticism for disproportionately funneling money toward larger, wealthier, and whiter communities, leaving smaller and poorer jurisdictions without the money they need to adapt to worsening climate-driven disasters.

There are two big reasons for this funding gap. The first is that FEMA doles out adaptation money through competitive grant programs, which means that a local government needs significant funding and staff to put together an application that stands a chance of attracting federal dollars. The second is that federal law requires the agency to fund only those adaptation projects that pass what it calls a “benefit-cost analysis.”

From the WashPost: Morocco’s reluctance to accept quake aid baffles foreign governments.

From CNN: Some workers who rebuild homes after hurricanes are afraid to go to Florida. They blame a law DeSantis championed

From the Wash Post: Why we all need to think like Floridians now.

“Florida was developed under the assumption that canals, pumps and clever engineering could turn swamps and sandbars into cities, reversing the state’s geological history. For decades, those tools mostly worked.

But recent storms and floods are highlighting Florida’s tenuous status as dry land. We’re entering a more extreme climate regime, Hurricane Idalia’s record-breaking storm surges and roaring winds remind us. It’s one that could overwhelm even a state used to the onslaught.”

From the WashPost: These five cities could be one natural disaster away from a catastrophic water crisis. Sept. 2, 2023.

From the WashPost: Maui’s neglected grasslands caused Lahaina fire to grow with deadly speed. Visual analysis retraces how the grasslands blazed. Landowners and the government have done little to address the well-known problem.

“A Washington Post investigation found that the inferno that burned Lahaina town to the ground began on a fallow, unmanaged plot of land on a hill north of downtown, and the geographic spread and density of the nonnative grasses were key elements to creating a fast-moving, uncontrollable fire.”

From the WashPost: Biden seeks $16 billion in disaster aid as Idalia, wildfires deplete federal funds.The new request is $4 billion more than the White House initially sought, as the government grapples with a raft of expensive, deadly natural disasters

From the Congressional Research Service, this report on Building Codes, Standards, and Regulations: Frequently Asked Questions. (55 pp)

(1) From CNN: FEMA announces $3 billion for climate resiliency as time runs low for Congress to replenish its disaster fund. “In a record-breaking year of disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is announcing nearly $3 billion Monday for communities to build resiliency against climate change-fueled extreme weather.

The new money, which will come from Congress’s bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, is being announced just as the agency is running out of disaster-relief funds and a dangerous hurricane is bearing down on Florida. FEMA needs Congress to approve additional spending when it’s back in session to prevent the agency from falling into the red.”

(2) From Inside Climate News: As Hurricane Idalia Churns Toward Florida, Efforts to Refill Federal Disaster Aid Stall. “The spate of summer disasters has highlighted another potentially looming crisis in the U.S. The federal Disaster Relief Fund, which allocates billions of dollars to help communities recover after a major disaster, is set to run out of money this fall if Congress can’t come to an agreement on how to replenish it. Last month, officials warned that the fund could reach a $4.2 billion deficit just as both the hurricane and wildfire seasons reach their peak activity, potentially delaying and jeopardizing recovery efforts for Americans around the nation.”

(3) From Politico: FEMA forced to restrict disaster spending because of low funds.
From now on, the money will be used only for “critical response efforts” and not rebuilding. August 31.