Latest Federal Emergency Management Agency News
Harris is heading to North Carolina to survey Helene's aftermath one day after Trump visited
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is heading to North Carolina on Saturday as the state recovers from Hurricane Helene, arriving there one day after a visit by Republican Donald Trump, who is spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster. ...
FEMA has faced criticism and praise during Helene. Here's what it does — and doesn't do
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is tasked with helping states and communities hit by disasters like Hurricane Helene. With Helene hitting during the homestretch of an election year, the agency has been criticized by some residents and politicians, like...
Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn't have enough funding to last through hurricane season
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday. The agency is being stretched as it works with...
Trump slams US response to Helene. His own disaster-response record is marked by politics
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration’s response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, even as his supporters have called for cuts to federal agencies that warn of weather disasters and deliver relief to hard-hit communities. ...
Tropical Weather Latest: Helene makes landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in northwestern Florida
Fast-moving Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida's northwestern coast as a Category 4 storm Thursday evening, threatening a “catastrophic” storm surge as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S.,...
Hawaii lawmakers say Congress should replenish disaster relief fund to help Maui
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's congressional representatives on Wednesday said the nation’s disaster relief fund needs to be replenished so the U.S. government can continue to help survivors of Maui’s deadly wildfires and other disasters around the country. Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed...
FEMA opens disaster recovery centers in Vermont after last month's floods
BERLIN, Vt. (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened disaster recovery centers in Vermont communities hit hard by violent flooding in mid-July while Gov. Phil Scott said he sought another federal disaster declaration on Wednesday for the second bout of severe flooding that...
Conflicting federal policies may cost residents more on flood insurance, and leave them at risk
Conflicting federal policies may force thousands of residents in flood-prone areas to pay more for flood insurance or be left unaware of danger posed by dams built upstream from their homes and worksites, according to an Associated Press review of federal records and data. The...
Takeaways from AP's report on federal policies shielding information about potential dam failures
Thousands of people live downstream from dams yet may not always realize the risks. As the climate changes, heavy rains from intense storms have put communities at greater jeopardy from flooding and placed the nation’s aging dams at greater risk of failing. That’s been evident...
Data shows hurricanes and earthquakes grab headlines but inland counties top disaster list
Floyd County keeps flooding and the federal government keeps coming to the rescue. In July 2022, at least 40 people died and 300 homes were damaged in flooding across eastern Kentucky. It was the 13th time in 12 years that Floyd County was declared a federal disaster. These are...
