By Alba Uriarte Jimenez | US Environmental Policy Student<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Climate-related natural disasters have increased in frequency and severity over the last 30 years, endangering human life and inflicting economic costs. An average of 22 climate-related disasters per year cost over $1 billion while in the 1990s, only six to seven disasters per year were that expensive. While local governments are the primary line of response for disaster relief, state and federal governments provide additional aid if local governments cannot handle the scale of the disaster.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The federal government supports disaster relief through 22 different agencies with the Department of Homeland Security providing 55% of the funding through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), established by Jimmy Carter in 1979.[2]<\/a> These agencies administer disaster relief based on the details and processes outlined in the Stafford Act, which President Reagan signed into law in 1988.[3]<\/sup><\/a> Since then, there have been several relevant disaster relief legislation materials released, typically following major natural disasters. Hurricane Katrina lead to amendments in the Stafford act that gave FEMA the responsibility to coordinate the nation\u2019s emergency management system.[4]<\/sup><\/a> President Obama rolled out other major disaster response legislation, such as the Presidential Policy Directive on National Preparedness in 2011[5]<\/a> and the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act in 2013, which gave FEMA direct authority to lease and repair temporary housing for displaced individuals while attempting to expand the amount of disaster-related costs FEMA has the authority to reimburse.[6]<\/sup><\/a> <\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although disaster response policy has changed since first introduced to incorporate lessons learned from extreme weather events like Katrina and Sandy, recent administrations have not continued to expand it, even though natural disasters in 2020 cost 47% more on average than a decade prior.[7]<\/a> As natural disasters increase in frequency, severity, and unpredictability, reducing the role of the federal government in disaster response could endanger affected communities and slow down their economic recovery. Recent natural disaster victims feel frustrated with the aid provided by FEMA in light of the growing gap between natural disaster severity and relief. After Hurricane Helene destroyed 70,000 homes in North Carolina, affected individuals received a one-time payment of $750 for addressing immediate needs.[8]<\/sup><\/a> FEMA then continued disseminating funds to address applicants\u2019 long-term needs. However, since the individual assistance application is online, those left without power and internet could not access the application for emergency funds for days, or in some cases, weeks. Reaching people in need also proved difficult due to landslides in the state cutting off access to freeways and rail, leaving many isolated. While frustrations with the immediate response to the disaster were valid, these issues are inherent to natural disasters and difficult to address regardless of the amount of federal funding budgeted for disaster response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, as of March 11th, there are still people waiting to receive federal aid for damages faced by the storm. Individuals were frustrated when they received $750 to spend on temporary relocation after the storm when their homes were inhabitable due to damage from flooding and debris. Many expected FEMA to use their authority to provide emergency housing to provide more aid with relocation efforts. Many also do not see the full scope of FEMA’s assistance to affected communities since much of the agency’s funding goes to local governments for road and water system repair, shower stations, and debris removal instead of directly to individuals.[9]<\/sup><\/a> Frustrations with FEMA also grow out of confusion about when the agency should step in to provide aid instead of insurance companies. FEMA\u2019s role is to provide immediate assistance after a natural disaster and to help communities rebuild while insurance companies pay for the bulk of damage on private property in the long term. Hurricane Helene affected communities in the mountains of inland North Carolina where many did not expect to ever need flood insurance to protect their homes from hurricanes. This increased the expectation that FEMA would provide enough funds to rebuild homes destroyed by floods, which is outside of the scope of the organization.[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n During his presidential campaign, Trump criticized FEMA\u2019s efforts in North Carolina.[11]<\/sup><\/a> Since he took office, recovery efforts and federal assistance have shifted. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently rejected Asheville\u2019s grant request for $225 million to rebuild infrastructure in the region because the request included plans to allocate part of the funds specifically to small businesses owned by minorities, which goes against Trump\u2019s executive order removing diversity, equity, and inclusion from government programs.[12]<\/sup><\/a> The Trump Administration\u2019s funding freeze froze funding from FEMA\u2019s $40 million<\/a> grant to update the nation\u2019s Emergency Warning System which provides warnings for flash floods, blizzards, hurricanes, and tornadoes. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which broadcasts warnings through the Next Generation Warning System and was using this grant money to improve warning broadcasts, is suing FEMA over this grant freeze. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein expressed concern<\/a> about the federal funding freeze’s impact on communities recovering from Hurricane Helene.[13]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n President Trump also expressed interest in shifting the responsibility of disaster response to states, especially concerning wildfires in California.[14]<\/sup><\/a> Due to growing frustrations with federal aid response, many affected by this year\u2019s hurricanes support this decision.[15]<\/sup><\/a> However, currently, federal disaster response only steps in to assist states when the magnitude of the disaster is too large to be addressed by a state\u2019s capabilities. FEMA already operates locally, with the majority of volunteers and workers deployed to clean debris after a natural disaster coming from near the affected area. State and federal governments split the cost of restoration.[16]<\/sup><\/a> Removing or reducing the role of the federal government in responding to natural disasters would likely leave states stranded when faced with future extreme weather events and natural disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hurricane Helene is the deadliest hurricane the United States has experienced since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.[17]<\/a> A natural disaster of its caliber should prompt an expansion in federal emergency response policy, not a contraction. Most of the difficulties FEMA faced in providing aid for affected communities spread from misinformation on how to apply for aid, the scope of aid FEMA could provide, and claims spread by the Trump administration during his campaign, like that FEMA was diverting funds to immigrants and that FEMA could seize the land of those asking for assistance.[18]<\/a> The latter led to threats to members of the agency that forced FEMA to halt door-to-door outreach after the hurricane.[19]<\/a> Because of this, the first step to increase the effectiveness of federal aid should be to invest in increasing public trust in the organization. Secondly, there needs to be better outreach and education on how to utilize natural disaster resilience preemptively. While that information is readily available online, it can be hard to get to following power outages after a major natural disaster. One way to increase the involvement of state and local governments in emergency management without withholding federal aid would be to have them collaborate with FEMA before disasters hit to educate local communities on what to do if they are affected by a forecasted natural disaster. This information could be disseminated at the same time as evacuation plans and weather forecasts through local news outlets, community emailing lists, or official local government social media platforms. Lastly, part of FEMA\u2019s role is to make communities affected by previous disasters more resilient to future ones. However, FEMA\u2019s spending on risk mitigation pales in comparison to spending on disaster relief.[20]<\/a> Increasing federal spending on infrastructure improvements to mitigate damage from natural disasters could save money in future disaster relief, especially for areas that are repeatedly affected by natural disasters and flooding. Overall, as disasters become more severe, US disaster relief policy has to expand to protect public safety and to ensure communities can recover, both physically and economically, after a major natural disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/sup><\/a> What is the Disaster Relief Fund? <\/em>Peterson Foundation, November 2024, https:\/\/www.pgpf.org\/article\/what-is-the-disaster-relief-fund\/<\/a> (Accessed March 21 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [2]<\/a> Jimmy Carter, Executive order 12127: Federal Emegency Management Agency, <\/em>1979, https:\/\/archives.federalregister.gov\/issue_slice\/1979\/4\/3\/19367-19368.pdf<\/a> (accessed April 7, 2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n [3]<\/sup><\/a> Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as Amended, <\/em>FEMA, April 2013, https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/sites\/doi.gov\/files\/uploads\/Stafford_Act_pdf.pdf<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025)<\/p>\n\n\n\n [4]<\/sup><\/a> Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, <\/em>FEMA, 2006, https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/sites\/doi.gov\/files\/uploads\/Post_Katrina_Emergency_Management_Reform_Act_pdf.pdf<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [5]<\/a> Barack Obama, Presidential Policy Directive on National Preparedness<\/em>, the White House, March 2011, https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/sites\/doi.gov\/files\/uploads\/PPD_8_National_Preparedness_pdf.pdf<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [6]<\/sup><\/a> Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 and FEMA\u2019s Recovery Directorate<\/em>, FEMA, 2013, https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/sites\/doi.gov\/files\/uploads\/Sandy_Recovery_Improvement_Act_Fact_Sheet_pdf.pdf , (accessed March 21 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [7]<\/a> What is the Disaster Relief Fund?<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [8]<\/sup><\/a> Ground Truths – the Facts of the Helene Response, <\/em>North Carolina Department of Public Safety, https:\/\/www.ncdps.gov\/our-organization\/emergency-management\/hurricane-helene\/ground-truth-facts-helene-response#IheardthatFEMAisonlyproviding750anddenyingmostapplicationsIsthistrue-8434<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [9]<\/sup><\/a> William Brangham, Months after Hurricane Helene, many grow frustrated as they still wait for federal aid, <\/em>PBS, March 2025, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/months-after-hurricane-helene-many-grow-frustrated-as-they-still-wait-for-federal-aid<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [10]<\/sup><\/a> NC Disaster Assistance Manual: Section 2 \u2013 FEMA Assistance, <\/em>North Carolina Pro Bonno Resource Center, https:\/\/ncprobono.org\/disastermanual\/section2\/<\/a> (accessed March 21 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [11]<\/sup><\/a> Alex Gangitano, Trump Slams FEMA\u2019s Hurricane Helene\u2019s Response in NC, <\/em>The Hill, January 2025, https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/5104991-trump-fema-north-carolina-hurricane-helene-response-california\/<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [12]<\/sup><\/a> Flip Timotija, HUD Rejects Asheville\u2019s Helene Recovery because of its DEI Targets, <\/em>The Hill, March 2025, https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/state-watch\/5189499-hud-hurricane-helene-asheville-north-carolina-relief\/<\/a> (accessed March 21 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [13]<\/sup><\/a> Laura Barron Lopez, Trump questions the need for FEMA and says states should \u2018take care of disasters\u2019, <\/em>PBS, January 2025, https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/trump-questions-need-for-fema-and-says-states-should-take-care-of-disasters<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [14]<\/sup><\/a> Micheal Kunzenman, FEMA sued over hold on funds for upgrading nation’s emergency alert system<\/em>, abc, March 2025, https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/wireStory\/fema-sued-hold-funds-upgrading-nations-emergency-alert-119775192<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [15]<\/sup><\/a> Makiya Seminera, Some in Hurricane Helene-ravaged North Carolina embrace Trump\u2019s push to abolish FEMA<\/em>, AP News, February 2025, https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/hurricane-helene-fema-north-carolina-trump-disasters-2b22a4943f4621d8704108d71e1386d1<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [16]<\/sup><\/a> Merryl Justin Chertoff, Trump\u2019s Threats to Withhold Disaster Relief Undermine Federalism Principles<\/em>, State Court Report, March 2025, https:\/\/statecourtreport.org\/our-work\/analysis-opinion\/trumps-threats-withhold-disaster-relief-undermine-federalism-principles<\/a> (accessed March 21, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [17]<\/a> Makiya Seminera, FEMA Resumes Door-to-Door Visits in North Carolina after Threats Tied to Misinformation, <\/em>AP, October 2024, https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fema-north-carolina-disinformation-threats-militia-04b8f753a82c652bc013d556d22a5d46 (accessed April 7, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [18]<\/a> FEMA Resumes Door-to-Door Visits in North Carolina after Threats Tied to Misinformation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n [19]<\/a> FEMA Resumes Door-to-Door Visits in North Carolina after Threats Tied to Misinformation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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