FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is running out of money in the middle of hurricane season for the second year in a row. The agency says it will continue to fund lifesaving and life-sustaining operations, but it’s bad news for communities that are struggling to rebuild from past disasters. A Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson said at least 650 projects have been paused so far across the country and that number may increase depending on how long it takes Congress to approve more money. “This ensures that FEMA can maintain essential operations, prioritize funding for ongoing disasters’ needs and allows the agency to respond immediately to new disasters,” FEMA said in a statement. From fires to flooding, Santa Cruz County on California’s Central Coast has been hit by seven federally declared disasters since 2017, according to local officials. “We’re at a fundamental pivot point in our country where climate change is having devastating impacts on our infrastructure for local communities,” said Santa Cruz County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios. Palacios said the local government has spent a quarter of a billion dollars on repairs so far and they’re still waiting on FEMA to reimburse more than $100 million. He said they’ve had to borrow money to free up space in the budget and, until federal support comes through, they won’t be able to address the 150 repair projects that they’ve yet to start. “The cash flow issue for our county has been severe,” Palacios said. “Now to hear that FEMA is basically freezing any new expenditures is really devastating to our efforts to continue to recover.” It’s not the first time FEMA has had to shift priorities because of a funding shortfall. The agency says it has implemented “Immediate Needs Funding” nine times since 2001. “It’s happening now much quicker and more often than it ever has historically, and the big reason right now is because of COVID-19,” said Christopher Currie, who leads homeland security research for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In a report published last month, GOA found FEMA underestimated COVID-19 related costs that the agency is still reimbursing to localities. It warned when funds run low, FEMA “might have to delay future spending commitments.”Currie said the pandemic response strained resources that were already stretched thin by a growing backlog of severe weather events. “FEMA is managing hundreds and hundreds of disasters that have been open for many years. Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Sandy, even Hurricane Katrina are still open,” Currie said.FEMA was not immediately available for an interview, but the agency stated on its website that it requested more disaster relief funding from Congress in October. The agency didn’t directly address emailed questions about what it has done to elevate the issue more recently. Lawmakers will have an opportunity to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund when they return from their August recess. Senator Peter Welch, whose home state of Vermont has been impacted by severe flooding in the past year, said Congress needs to step up. “FEMA needs to fire on all cylinders right now, and it’s up to Congress to come together and take action–not only for Vermont, but for every community that needs help, or could need help in the future. Climate change is here, and we need to be ready,” Sen. Welch wrote in a statement.Currie said other reforms could help mitigate this issue in the future. He said relief programs are overly complicated and often confusing for localities to navigate. “Part of the problem is a lot of these projects, and these disasters are open for too long; sometimes they’re open for 20 years,” Currie said. “So I think, if they could streamline these programs, they could get the dollars out and the projects moving quicker.”FEMA said they recently implemented reforms to their assistance program for individuals to simplify applications and make funding more flexible.
FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is running out of money in the middle of hurricane season for the second year in a row.
The agency says it will continue to fund lifesaving and life-sustaining operations, but it’s bad news for communities that are struggling to rebuild from past disasters.
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A Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesperson said at least 650 projects have been paused so far across the country and that number may increase depending on how long it takes Congress to approve more money.
“This ensures that FEMA can maintain essential operations, prioritize funding for ongoing disasters’ needs and allows the agency to respond immediately to new disasters,” FEMA said in a statement.
From fires to flooding, Santa Cruz County on California’s Central Coast has been hit by seven federally declared disasters since 2017, according to local officials.
“We’re at a fundamental pivot point in our country where climate change is having devastating impacts on our infrastructure for local communities,” said Santa Cruz County Administrative Officer Carlos Palacios.
Palacios said the local government has spent a quarter of a billion dollars on repairs so far and they’re still waiting on FEMA to reimburse more than $100 million. He said they’ve had to borrow money to free up space in the budget and, until federal support comes through, they won’t be able to address the 150 repair projects that they’ve yet to start.
“The cash flow issue for our county has been severe,” Palacios said. “Now to hear that FEMA is basically freezing any new expenditures is really devastating to our efforts to continue to recover.”
It’s not the first time FEMA has had to shift priorities because of a funding shortfall. The agency says it has implemented “Immediate Needs Funding” nine times since 2001.
“It’s happening now much quicker and more often than it ever has historically, and the big reason right now is because of COVID-19,” said Christopher Currie, who leads homeland security research for the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
In a report published last month, GOA found FEMA underestimated COVID-19 related costs that the agency is still reimbursing to localities. It warned when funds run low, FEMA “might have to delay future spending commitments.”
Currie said the pandemic response strained resources that were already stretched thin by a growing backlog of severe weather events.
“FEMA is managing hundreds and hundreds of disasters that have been open for many years. Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Sandy, even Hurricane Katrina are still open,” Currie said.
FEMA was not immediately available for an interview, but the agency stated on its website that it requested more disaster relief funding from Congress in October. The agency didn’t directly address emailed questions about what it has done to elevate the issue more recently.
Lawmakers will have an opportunity to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund when they return from their August recess.
Senator Peter Welch, whose home state of Vermont has been impacted by severe flooding in the past year, said Congress needs to step up.
“FEMA needs to fire on all cylinders right now, and it’s up to Congress to come together and take action–not only for Vermont, but for every community that needs help, or could need help in the future. Climate change is here, and we need to be ready,” Sen. Welch wrote in a statement.
Currie said other reforms could help mitigate this issue in the future. He said relief programs are overly complicated and often confusing for localities to navigate.
“Part of the problem is a lot of these projects, and these disasters are open for too long; sometimes they’re open for 20 years,” Currie said. “So I think, if they could streamline these programs, they could get the dollars out and the projects moving quicker.”
FEMA said they recently implemented reforms to their assistance program for individuals to simplify applications and make funding more flexible.
