The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is undergoing a period of massive turmoil. Experts are raising concerns that these alterations could hinder homeowners’ ability to recover from natural disasters, as the agency’s role in disaster aid may be diminished.
Additionally, the Trump administration announced its intent to cut disaster assistance funding. Rather than distributing funds through FEMA, the president’s office will distribute the funds directly. With this new focus, FEMA is adding a new lens to its equity work. Ultimately, this means that people impacted by disasters get less help when they need it. The hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 through November 30, presents an urgent opportunity for this shift.
FEMA has long been the backbone of disaster recovery, with FEMA providing financial support for things like emergency temporary housing. Experts such as Charles Nyce, a professor of risk management and insurance at Florida State University, want to make one thing very clear. They contend that this funding should not supplant normal homeowners’ insurance policies from taking effect.
“There’s a lot of different things that FEMA does really well, but one of the things they’re not designed for is to be a replacement for insurance coverage for individuals.” – Charles Nyce
Besides providing financial assistance for temporary replacement housing, FEMA provides low-interest disaster loans, administered through the Small Business Administration. As the agency is forced to retrench and do less, these alternatives will be less available. Recently, FEMA announced the termination of a disaster prevention and mitigation grant program, which returned $882 million in funding to the Treasury. Lawmakers across the aisle have denounced this action. This led Senator Raphael Warnock, D-G.A., to testify that FEMA’s actions were “reckless.”
The administration’s proposed changes have sparked fears that citizens will be left entirely on their own to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. Nyce further reiterated the need to be personally prepared as these changes play out.
“It puts more of an onus on citizens to be prepared,” – Charles Nyce
Nyce encouraged homeowners to review their home insurance. In times of emergency, they can hardly depend on anyone but themselves. He suggested that citizens should be prepared to “fend for yourself for a day or two, or three,” particularly in the aftermath of a disaster.
Jeremy Porter, chief of climate impacts at First Street Foundation, agreed with Nyce on FEMA’s changing responsibilities. He stated that the agency “is not going to be able to operate in the same way that it has in the past,” indicating a shift in how disaster relief will be structured in the future.
Porter recognized the great help that FEMA provides. Its resources largely only support people in recovering from a disaster, providing just enough assistance to allow someone to begin planning their recovery.
“They’re really designed as a way for people just to have enough money to figure out what their next steps are,” – Jeremy Porter
Then, just a few days ago, President Donald Trump himself signaled that major reforms are on the way. He asserted during a press briefing that “we’re going to do it much differently,” signaling a major overhaul of FEMA’s operations. Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, has cheered the administration’s direction. She pledged that in the coming months, they will lay out what FEMA’s new role will be as part of such a broad merger within the Department of Homeland Security.
As these changes take place, there are legitimate concerns on how these changes will affect those communities most at risk of natural disasters. The drastic decrease in accessible federal assistance could leave communities to contend with challenges like never before in their fight for recovery.