Opinion: FEMA needs rescuing if it's going to give Americans the help it promises

A tornado whips across Wyoming.
(Photo by N. Noonan, Unsplash)

Eighty-five weather events costing billions of dollars have unfolded across the United States since 2020, leaving flooded, burned and wind-flattened communities in their path. Disaster-torn Americans have sought help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the agency itself is such a wreck that it's failing the people who need it most, writes Samantha Montano in her opinion for The New York Times. "The help Americans receive after disasters isn't just inadequate; it's complicated to navigate and painfully slow to arrive. From the amount of time it takes to complete recovery — measured in years, not months — to the labyrinth of policies, regulations, false promises and lawsuits, the reward for surviving a disaster is being forced into a system so cruel it constitutes a second disaster."

Many survivors end up homeless or on the edge of it for years after an event, and others "continue living in their mold-filled homes," Montano says. "The emotional toll of recovery is breaking people. Researchers have found that the circumstances of disaster recovery help to explain increases in domestic violence, a range of mental health issues, worsening physical health in people with pre-existing conditions and suicide.

Paired with insurance, FEMA was designed to be a safety net, but the number of costly extreme weather events has altered that balance. "From North Carolina to California, major insurers are placing new limits on the kinds of hazards they cover — or leaving altogether. Government is far from ready to make up the difference," Motano adds. "But it needs to find a way to keep up — and get significantly more money in survivors' hands."

Right now, that assistance is not happening. "Between 2010 and 2019, for example, amid disasters that devastated communities and destroyed homes, the average amount of FEMA assistance to individuals was $3,522. This year's maximum award is $41,000, which only about 1 percent of applicants receive. Some payments arrive quickly, but others only after months of exhausting appeals."

Congress is responsible for funding FEMA to respond to emergencies, but this year, payments were stopped due to a lack of funding. There are solutions. "Broader reforms to emergency management, like passing the FEMA Independence Act to move the agency out of the Department of Homeland Security and restore it to its pre-9/11 status as an independent, cabinet-level entity, would minimize the bureaucracy it has to operate within," Montano suggests. "Creating a National Disaster Safety Board, modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, would serve as an independent investigator of the nation's crises and be a starting point to address the federal government's failure to make effective changes after disasters."