FEMA to Expand Disaster Aid Due to Climate Crisis
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“Without robust cuts to fossil fuels, programs like these will only expand exponentially,” said one writer.
January 22, 2024
An entry in the Federal Register on Monday explicitly notes that new rules pertaining to government disaster assistance have been finalized due to the climate crisis, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency expecting to increase its costs by $512 million per year implementing the policies.
FEMA said it is overhauling its disaster aid rules after outcry from survivors of hurricanes and other extreme weather disasters, with people who have been forced to rebuild their lives reporting that delays in receiving assistance and bureaucratic red tape have worsened their suffering.
As “extreme weather events are increasing in intensity as well as frequency,” said FEMA in the interim final rule published in the Federal Register, the agency is expanding eligibility for assistance and reducing the steps survivors will need to go through to get help.
Sunrise Movement, the national climate action campaign that has pushed the Biden administration to declare a climate emergency and “reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s approval processes for aid,” applauded FEMA’s announcement.
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