From the NYTimes: Trump Wanted to Abolish FEMA. His Own Advisers Disagree.

A panel convened by President Trump is said to have rejected the president’s idea that the agency should “go away.”

A task force formed by President Trump to consider changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency has recommended that it should not be abolished, according to four people briefed on the matter, a position that conflicts with Mr. Trump’s earlier assertion that the agency should “go away.”

It is unclear whether Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, will accept the task force’s suggestions, the people said. FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

The deliberations underscore a growing tension within Mr. Trump’s political coalition over the federal role in responding to hurricanes, floods, fires and other disasters across the country that are growing more destructive as the planet warms.

From the WashPost: FEMA head resigns. Richardson had been hard to reach during Texas floods.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/11/17/fema-administrator-david-richardson-resigns/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f004

David Richardson resigned Monday after a brief tenure leading the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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Note this comment from CNN on their article on this topic: “FEMA chief steps down as Trump administration prepared to oust him.”

From the Conversation: FEMA buyouts vs. risky real estate: New maps reveal post-flood migration patterns across the US.

“Dangerous flooding has damaged neighborhoods in almost every state in 2025, leaving homes a muddy mess. In several hard-hit areas, it wasn’t the first time homeowners found themselves tearing out wet wallboard and piling waterlogged carpet by the curb.

Wanting to rebuild after flooding is a common response. But for some people, the best way to stay in their community, adapt to the changing climate and recover from disasters is to do what humans have done for millennia: move.

Researchers expect millions of Americans to relocate from properties facing increasing risks of flood, fire and other kinds of disasters in the years ahead.

What people do with those high-risk properties can make their community more resilient or leave it vulnerable to more damage in future storms.”

From Naco: FEMA Bill Staffer Offer Insights into Reform Effort

One perspective on proposed changes:

“Senators are here, they are bored and they are interested in learning something new,” congressional staffer Logan de La Barre-Hays told members of the task force Oct. 28.

de La Barre-Hays (R) and her counterpart Lauren Gros (D) are professional staff members for the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which recently passed the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act (FEMA Act) on a bipartisan basis, 57-3. They gave NACo task force members a look at the thinking behind some of the bill’s provisions that would appeal to counties.

The FEMA Act proposes making FEMA, currently part of the Department of Homeland Security, an independent agency. It would also transition to a grant program for public assistance, ending a lengthy reimbursement process that left counties fronting millions of dollars for all sorts of recovery costs. It would also reform mitigation programs, create a universal application to simplify paperwork and transform individual assistance policies.

It would reset a system that has formed over the years

There’s nothing in the Stafford Act that prescribes the system as it exists,” de La Barre-Hays said. “It is mostly precedent.”

From the Conversation: No time to recover: Hurricane Melissa and the Caribbean’s compounding disaster trap as the storms keep coming

“Headlines have been filled with talk of the catastrophic power of Hurricane Melissa after the Category 5 storm devastated communities across Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti in October 2025. But to see this as a singular disaster misses the bigger picture: Melissa didn’t hit stable, resilient islands. It hit islands still rebuilding from the last hurricane.

Jamaica was still recovering from Hurricane Beryl, which sideswiped the island in July 2024 as a Category 4 storm. The parish of St. Elizabeth – known as Jamaica’s breadbasket – was devastated. The country’s Rural Agriculture Development Authority estimated that 45,000 farmers were affected by Beryl, with damage estimated at US$15.9 million.“

Thanks to Chris Jones for the citation.

Although not on the topic of recovery, here is an important opportunity.

From the National Academies of Science: Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies

https://mailchi.mp/nationalacademies/call-for-experts-forum-on-medical-and-public-health-preparedness-for-disasters-and-emergencies?e=bf85197e14

“The National Academies is seeking suggestions for experts to be considered to fill 5 to 7 open seats on the Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies. The forum fosters in-depth discussion and collaboration to examine barriers, identify research, explore innovative operational and policy solutions, and inspire action among diverse stakeholders in support of sustaining and advancing national health readiness and security. Additionally, staff are identifying potential speakers, participants, and other contributors for upcoming forum activities.”

From AP news: States sue Trump administration over restrictions put on FEMA emergency grants

“Eleven states and Kentucky’s governor are suing the Trump administration over what they call “unlawful terms” placed on federal funding critical to supporting local disaster and terrorism preparedness.

The predominantly Democratic-led states, which include Michigan, Oregon and Arizona, along with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear sued the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon.

The states oppose a dramatic cut to the amount of time they are given to spend emergency management and homeland security grants, as well as an unprecedented requirement that they submit population counts omitting people removed under immigration law in order to receive emergency management funds. They argue the measures “erect inappropriate barriers” to money for public safety and emergency response.”

Link to a film From the National Internet and TV Association: After the Storm:Reconnecting Communities

Film takes viewers behind-the-scenes as networks are rebuilt.

Watch how cable workers mobilize after disaster—navigating dangerous conditions, repairing damaged lines, and working side by side with utility crews to bring communities back online.

From The Conversation: 4 urgent lessons for Jamaica from Puerto Rico’s troubled hurricane recovery – and how the Jamaican diaspora could help after Melissa.

https://theconversation.com/4-urgent-lessons-for-jamaica-from-puerto-ricos-troubled-hurricane-recovery-and-how-the-jamaican-diaspora-could-help-after-melissa-268631

“Across Jamaica, streets are littered with torn-off roofs, splintered wood and other debris left in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Downed power lines have left communities in the dark, and many flooded and wind-damaged homes are unlivable.

Recovering from the devastation of one of the Atlantic’s most powerful storms, which struck on Oct. 28, 2025, will take months and likely years in some areas. That work is made much harder by the isolation of being an island.

As a researcher who has extensively studied disaster recovery in Puerto Rico after Hurricane María in 2017, I know that the decisions Jamaica makes in the days and weeks following the disaster will shape its recovery for years to come. Puerto Rico’s mistakes following Maria hold some important lessons.”

From the BBC: Hurricane Melissa death toll rises as aid struggles to reach parts of Jamaica

“At least 19 people have died in Jamaica as a result of Hurricane Melissa, Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon has said, as search and rescue efforts continue and authorities try to get aid to hard-hit areas.

The hurricane, one of the most powerful to strike the Caribbean, has also killed at least 30 people in Haiti, officials said.

In Jamaica, “there are entire communities that seem to be marooned and areas that seem to be flattened”, Dixon said, adding there are “devastating” scenes in western regions.

Electricity remains out to most of the island and as people try to salvage damaged homes and belongings from flood water and mud, many thousands are growing increasingly desperate for aid. “