FEMA burning through funds as increased Natural Disasters take us into the peak season

Tropical Storm System Brings Heavy Rain And Wind To Washington, D.C. Area CRISFIELD, MD - SEPTEMBER 24: In this aerial view, the Chesapeake Bay stretches out past the downtown area following two days of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Ophelia on September 24, 2023 in Crisfield, Maryland. Ophelia made landfall early Saturday in North Carolina, producing high winds and heavy rain across the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey. The city of Crisfield will apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency and Maryland Department of Emergency Management grants to help pay for a $63 million flood control program to mitigate flooding by raising roads, building new tide gates, berms, and other projects. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Luke 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the wave

Important Takeaways:

  • The nation’s disaster agency is being stretched to the limit by a spate of storms and wildfires so far in 2024, and the busiest time of year for the Federal Emergency Management Agency is just beginning.
  • FEMA issued 100 disaster and emergency declarations — for 58 severe storms and flooding events and 42 fires — through the first week of August, according to the agency’s database. That is nearly as many as all of last year (114) and well past the 90 declarations of disasters and fire emergencies the agency issued in 2022.
  • It is still short of the all-time high of 315 declarations issued by FEMA in 2020, but with the expected active hurricane season ahead and the threat of wildfires continuing in the West, that record isn’t out of reach.
  • The flurry of emergency responses comes as FEMA shifts into what is known as “immediate needs funding” mode, in which new obligations not necessary for lifesaving and life-sustaining activities will be paused, the agency announced on Aug. 7.
  • And last week the Department of Energy announced it will invest $2.2 billion in projects to make the electrical grid more resilient.
  • Meantime, FEMA officials are anxiously waiting for Congress to return in September and consider providing additional disaster aid, including $9 billion for FEMA that was part of an administration request last October.
  • FEMA has said the deficit in its disaster relief fund could reach $6 billion by Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

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