FEMA — States Must Handle Their Own Disasters

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wants the states to handle most disasters and emergencies in the future. FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton gave that news to state executives at FEMA’s National Emergency Management Association annual conference.

That’s going to start a storm of its own.

The Trump administration wants states to start beefing up their reserves so recovery efforts can begin immediately after a disaster strikes. Hamilton said doing that means in the future states won’t have to wait for a federal disaster declaration.

“Sometimes what we find is a potential slowing down the [recovery] process to ensure that a declaration comes through,” Hamilton said and noted the changes will begin in the next six months.

He also pointed out states taking more control will eventually improve disaster recovery in the future.

“A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial,” Hamilton said. “Sometimes what we find is a potential slowing down the [recovery] process to ensure that a declaration comes through.”

Hamilton thinks better preparation by the states will eventually end up with fewer disasters and the need for disaster funding.

“Federal dollars should be building greater capability, not creating greater dependency,” Hamilton concluded.

In a statement FEMA said the agency’s primary focus is to “empower communities to lead and executive disaster response and recovery. An agency spokesman took that statement farther.

“FEMA is not a first responder,” the spokesperson said, “but rather a force multiplier supporting states, tribes and local governments to ensure rapid and effective recovery when warranted and where needed.”

Enforcing the decision is going to be a political and logistical challenge because FEMA says most states are “understaffed and underfunded.”

Eric Holdeman has been an emergency management official for decades. The former emergency management director for King County, Washington pointed out how incredibly dependent states, and state agencies, are on federal funding when an emergency strikes.

“There are many states with [minuscule] emergency management offices and budgets. There are states with slim rainy-day funds and no capacity to make up for a lack of federal disaster recovery funds — without RAISING TAXES!” Holdeman wrote on X after the conference concluded.

“Reducing the number of federal disaster declarations will be difficult and its implementation will be impossible!” He added. “All Presidents, not just the one we have today, will ignore such a policy when it becomes politically expedient to do so.”

To assist states the Trump administration is going to add a system where states can help each other recover from wildfires, storms, floods and other events.

Source link: Politico — https://bit.ly/4sHLlLU