Tornadoes, Floods and Hurricanes Loom, but the Government Is Running Out of Money to Help
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster response fund could run out this summer. It dealt with a similar situation last year, which led to a slowdown in rebuilding projects
A destroyed house is seen in Keaton Beach, Florida on August 30, 2023 after Hurricane Idalia made landfall. Idalia slammed into northwest Florida as an “extremely dangerous” Category 3 storm early Wednesday, buffeting coastal communities with cascades of water as officials warned of “catastrophic” flooding in parts of the southern US state.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
CLIMATEWIRE | A government auditor warned lawmakers Tuesday that the federal government likely will run out of money to cover disasters at the peak of hurricane season this year — imperiling its ability to pay for emergency shelters, home repairs and long-term rebuilding.
The warning at a congressional hearing came the day after President Joe Biden proposed a moderate increase in disaster spending next year. Even if the request is approved, however, it likely will be too little too late to prevent the disaster fund from going insolvent.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which runs the disaster fund, faced an identical situation last summer and had to restrict spending for five weeks, and halt funding for 2,400 rebuilding projects.
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“They’re in the same position as they were before,” Chris Currie, the Government Accountability Office’s director of homeland security and justice, told a House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee.
Spending restrictions “may be necessary again” this summer, Currie…
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