FEMA


Members of FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Nebraska Task Force One comb a neighborhood for survivors impacted by flooding from Hurricane Harvey. FEMA

FEMA and HUD Budgets are Vital for Disaster and Climate Preparedness

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

April 9, 2018 10:19 AM EDT

Last year’s record-breaking disasters—including hurricanes, wildfires and floods—were a reminder of how climate change and faulty development policies are colliding to create dangerous and costly outcomes for the American public. While much attention is focused on post-disaster recovery, we need to invest much more in preparing for disasters before they happen. The good news is that the omnibus budget deal recently passed by Congress appropriated significant funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help foster community resilience, in many cases undoing steep cuts that had been proposed by the Trump administration. Read more >

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Federal funding should help ensure that communities are better prepared before disaster strikes, instead of just picking up the pieces afterwards. Photo: chere/Shutterstock

4 Ways President Trump’s Budget Takes Aim at FEMA and Disaster Preparedness

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

May 25, 2017 4:34 PM EDT

The damaging cuts included in President’s Trump proposed budget make clear that the administration is willing to put Americans at risk by shortchanging investments in disaster preparedness. Read more >

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Damage from Hurricane Sandy in Mantoloking, New Jersey in 2012.

An Innovative Way to Encourage Disaster Preparedness: FEMA’s Public Assistance Deductible

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

April 12, 2017 11:01 AM EDT

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently outlined a new framework for encouraging states to invest in disaster resilience and thus limit the growing costs of disasters.

Today is the comment deadline for the ‘Public Assistance deductible,’ a concept that can help protect communities and ensure federal taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. The Union of Concerned Scientists is filing comments supportive of this idea, with some important recommendations for improvements. Read more >

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Cutting FEMA’s budget would put the safety of Americans at risk and seriously undermine our nation’s ability to prepare for and recover from disasters, such as Hurricane Ike in Texas in 2008. Photo:Photo: U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.

How to Make Disasters More Costly and Harmful: Cut FEMA’s Budget

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

March 15, 2017 10:08 AM EDT

A potential 11 percent cut in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s budget would seriously undermine our nation’s ability to prepare for and recover from disasters, and put the safety of Americans at risk. Congress should reject it. Read more >

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The National Flood Insurance Program Must Be Improved: 5 Ways to Promote Climate Resilience

, Policy Director and Lead Economist, Climate & Energy

August 10, 2016 9:52 AM EDT

If you own a home along the coast or elsewhere in a floodplain, you may have heard of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). What you may not know is that this program doesn’t just provide insurance; it is also critical for how we assess risks and help protect people and property in flood-prone areas.

The NFIP is up for Congressional re-authorization in September 2017, and it’s time to consider changes that would make the program work better, especially in light of growing development in floodplains and climate change. Read more >

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