From CNN: Category 5 Hurricane Erin is one of the fastest rapidly intensifying storms in Atlantic history

From NBC News: Under water: How FEMA’s outdated flood maps incentivize property owners to take risks/

About 75% of the nation’s flood insurance maps are outdated, leaving the door open for property owners to seek their own flood mapping and appeal.

The RAND Corp is offering an online workshop on Recovery Tracking on August 22. See  RAND’s Recovery Tracking Tool: Improving Visibility on the Status and Progress of Recovery Efforts

(1) Hurricane Recovery from 2024: From the WashPost: DHS is delaying millions in already approved North Carolina recovery funds, documents show.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/08/08/dhs-fema-north-carolina-helene-recovery-funds/

Communities across the region still need to be reimbursed for about a hundred projects including debris removal, waste water treatment repairs, roads and bridges, damaged buildings and parks, as well as for emergency protection.

(2) Above Normal Activity Expected for the rest of [2025] Hurricane Season

From NPR: Federal records contradict what FEMA leader told Congress about Texas flood response/

In the week after floods tore through Texas Hill Country, most survivors were unable to get through to a federal aid hotline because the Department of Homeland Security let funding lapse, according to publicly available contract records and internal FEMA call center logs obtained by NPR.

The call center staffing meltdown appears to have happened because of an administrative bottleneck created by the Trump administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem personally signs off on all funding requests for more than $100,000, according to House testimony by FEMA acting administrator David Richardson earlier this month. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

From the Conversation: History shows why FEMA is essential in disasters, and how losing independent agency status hurt its ability to function

“When the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s urban search and rescue team resigned after the deadly July 4, 2025, Texas floods, he told colleagues he was frustrated with bureaucratic hurdles that had delayed the team’s response to the disaster, acccording to media reports. The move highlighted an ongoing challenge at FEMA.

Ever since the agency lost its independent status and became part of the Department of Homeland Security in the early 2000s, it has faced complaints about delays caused by layers of bureaucracy and red tape, leaders at the top with little experience in emergency response, and whiplash policy changes.

Now, the Trump administration is cutting jobs at FEMA and talking about dismantling the agency, which would push more responsibility for disaster response to the states.

Yet, federal emergency management is crucial in America.”

Final two sentences: “The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle FEMA are shortsighted in my view. Instead, I believe the best move is to restore FEMA as an independent executive agency as it was originally envisioned.”

From HSToday: Billion-Dollar Disaster Tracker Discontinued by NOAA, But Nonprofit Keeps the Data Alive

“For decades, NOAA’s Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database has been a go-to resource for tracking the rising cost and human toll of extreme weather in the United States. But earlier this year, NOAA announced that the database, covering 45 years of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and more, would stop receiving updates after 2024. And that has left a data gap at a time when climate-related disasters are accelerating.

Thankfully, organizations like Climate Central, Inc., a policy-neutral 501(c)(3) nonprofit, are stepping in to fill the void.

For a deeper dive into the data and what it means for disaster resilience in the U.S., you can read the full Climate Central story here.

From CNN:  FEMA plans to release nearly $1 billion in security funding after CNN report on proposal to slash it

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency is making nearly $1 billion in disaster preparedness and homeland security funding available to communities nationwide, just one week after CNN reported on the agency’s proposed plan to slash the programs at the direction of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA.

In a notice sent to states Friday, which CNN obtained from one of the states, FEMA announced it is now taking applications for more than a dozen grant programs “making nearly $1 billion available to communities across the country.”

Just days ago, those grants were on the verge of being cut, according to internal memos signed by acting FEMA administrator David Richardson and approved by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, CNN reported last week. “

From EEnews.com: FEMA chief has 2 jobs, raising concern in heart of hurricane season. Acting Administrator David Richardson also oversees the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office.

“The head of the nation’s disaster agency holds a second senior position in the Trump administration, raising new questions about the government’s capabilities as peak hurricane season approaches.

The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, David Richardson, also oversees a federal program that protects the nation from weapons of mass destruction.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA and the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, confirmed to POLITICO’s E&E News on Thursday that Richardson holds two presidential appointments.”

The obvious question is can he do both well?

From HSToday: FEMA Publishes Notices of Funding Opportunity for Flood and Earthquake Assistance

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has published two Notices of Funding Opportunity, making millions in federal funding available to help states and territories protect their communities from floods and earthquakes. Both floods and earthquakes can happen nearly anywhere with little warning, and they both can cause mass devastation to American communities. These funds demonstrate how FEMA is returning to its core mission: safeguarding the American people and increasing state, local, tribal and territorial capability to respond to and recover from disasters.”

“With these funding opportunities, we are empowering states to take charge of their disaster preparedness,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the FEMA Administrator David Richardson. “States and local governments know what their communities need, and they can use this money to get it. The more we build resilience at the state and local level, the more prepared our nation will be.”

“The announcement comes after a critical evaluation of all grant programs and recipients to root out waste, fraud and abuse and deliver accountability for the American taxpayer. Unlike the previous administration, recipients of grants will no longer be permitted to use federal funds to house illegal immigrants at luxury hotels, fund climate change pet projects or empower radical organizations with unseemly ties that don’t serve the interest of the American people.”