The Federal Emergency Management Agency needs reform. It must become more responsive and efficient in its distribution of vital funding, more proactive about helping storm-prone areas strengthen resiliency, and it must scale up to meet a future in which billion-dollar disasters are the norm, not anomalies.
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While President Donald Trump has often advocated for the elimination of FEMA, a report by a White House task force assigned to study the issue not only affirms the need for a robust federal disaster response, but offers some thoughtful reforms that could speed aid to affected communities.
FEMA would change under these proposals, and more would be asked of state and local governments. Some of those proposals have us dubious, but the report as a whole represents a sound starting point for Congress to consider reforms that improve the delivery of assistance and more effectively help communities in need.
Storm prep time
As another Atlantic hurricane season begins next week, coastal regions will begin their annual exercise of keeping close watch on the tropics, monitoring storm formation and keeping tabs on emergency messages in case a system threatens our area. Floridians have more of a stake than most when it comes to wind and rain: We are the flattest state in the nation, and no part of the state is more than 75 miles from a coast. Even a weak tropical system can cause considerable problems due to flooding and storm surge, and it’s undeniably getting worse.
Municipal governments here have robust emergency management divisions which, in concert with state authorities, do well to prepare for and respond to disasters. They are aided in those efforts by FEMA, which is charged with helping to organize and coordinate relief efforts and bring federal resources to help victims and restore communities.
But for years, FEMA has been pulled in too many directions and stretched thin by the volume of enormous disaster response efforts. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States recorded 33 billion-dollar disasters between 1980 and 1989, and 131 between 2010 and 2020. That number is growing with each passing year.
At the same time, the bureaucratic hurdles needed to secure funding for affected states, communities and individuals has only grown more complicated and frustrating. While FEMA wasn’t established as a direct-aid agency — its value is more geared toward coordinating response — the primary need is providing assistance to victims as quickly as possible. When floodwaters wash away your home, your primary concern shouldn’t be filling out forms in triplicate.
While running for president, Trump vowed to address these concerns, but often mused about eliminating FEMA and leaving disaster response to states and localities absent federal support. That’s a nonstarter, as few states can reasonably handle the expense or logistics to go it alone — nor should they since Americans affected by disaster deserve the help of their nation.
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Help, refined
So it is a pleasant surprise that the task force he launched to study federal emergency response, whose , endorsed FEMA’s continued value. That is welcome and should put the agency on firmer ground going forward.
The study group, which included former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, recommended a number of changes to assistance programs that could improve the pace of aid and suggested changing the metrics for determining what disasters qualify for federal help. There were also calls for revamping the National Flood Insurance Program, which is needed, and for reducing administrative costs, which is long overdue.
Politics should be removed from the equation entirely; Trump has made a habit of approving assistance to Republican states and denying help to those led by Democrats. That has to stop. It’s also good that new Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin reversed changes made by his predecessor, Kristi Noem, that slowed relief by requiring her personal approval for any expense greater than $100,000.
While the task force avoids the large need for FEMA to facilitate resilience and other efforts to strengthen communities before disaster strike, these are workable recommendations that should form a basis for federal legislation that can help restore confidence in the agency and, importantly, get help to Americans in need.
None of this, of course, erases the need for personal responsibility. Next week, we plan to write about what Floridians can do to be their own first line of defense against catastrophic weather and other disasters, understanding what they need to do to keep their families and themselves safe — (long dash) and how things are changing. Many property owners are seeing new vulnerabilities and risks, (extra space) and we’re not just talking about the sticker shock when they open their insurance bills.
FEMA, along with state and local emergency management officials, can never protect us from all potential harm. But these agencies can provide a bulwark that speeds recovery and increases resilience, two priorities Noem seemed to have little use for.
This editorial is adapted from the Virginian Pilot and Daily Press. The Sentinel sometimes localizes editoirals that agree with our own positions. The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board includes Executive Editor Roger Simmons, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Send letters to [email protected].
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