FEMA

The President is considering calling a special session to deal with hurricane damage.

Efforts at every level to respond to the growing problem of extreme heat are beginning to reshape how state and local governments think about emergency management.

A petition aimed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency highlights the deficiencies and opportunities FEMA has in adapting to a world of frequent extreme weather events

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is asking for an additional $9 billion for this year in hopes they don't run out of funds in August as they're currently slated to.

FEMA, state and cities have been in a dispute over federal funding locals say was promised to place homeless people in hotels after the pandemic struck. Officials say the recent outlay doesn't cover the disputed time frame.

Loss of aid could hurt the islands' economy, a local senator says.

While congressional leaders fight over what to include with the $12 billion slated for FEMA, others feel that the reliance on FEMA and the federal government for disaster relief may begin to change.

The GAO said that the $10.5 billion from the FEMA Public Assistance program might cover only about half of the $20.3 billion identified in Puerto Rico’s Grid Modernization Plan as necessary to repair the grid and make it more resilient.

The bill would increase the federal share cost of disaster relief for the COVID-19 pandemic to 100% from 75%. It is unlikely to pass in the Senate.

Firefighters are waging battle against an estimated 7,000 fires of varying sizes throughout the state; nearly 1.5 million acres have burned.

Santa Rosa escaped flames this year but still bears costs related to the nearby Kincade Fire.

The House Natural Resources Committee, meanwhile, is meeting Oct. 22 to consider removing the infrastructure revitalization section from the federal legislation that established the Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board.

States and cities have begun to factor climate risk into budgetary and other planning.

FEMA denied California reimbursement for a portion of Oroville Dam repairs, saying the state failed to maintain it.

Sergio Marxuach and other officials of the nonpartisan, San Juan-based Center for a New Economy said federal spending on disaster recovery has been slower than in other areas also struck by hurricanes in 2017.

Included in the FAA reauthorization package is $1.68 billion in supplemental disaster funding that would help cover the cost of recovery and rebuilding from Hurricane Florence last month.

The three islands of the USVI have received more than $1 billion in federal disaster assistance through March 27, according to FEMA spokesman Manuel Broussard.