Latest FEMA Headlines

All the headlines from our FEMA Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Flood Insurance, Public Aid Leave Gaps for Midwest Disaster Victims Looking to Rebuild

Jun 27 2008 // With federal aid limited and most homes damaged or destroyed by Midwest flooding lacking the proper insurance, states along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers will soon have to help homeowners recover, according to the...

FEMA Rescinds New Flood Maps for D.C.

Jun 19 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has rescinded maps declaring a large swath of downtown Washington and the National Mall a flood zone after city officials pledged to have a stronger levee system in place by late...

North Carolina Gov.’s 2nd Request for Federal Aid Hits Home

Jun 17 2008 // North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for a second time, to help pay the escalating costs of fighting the Evans Road Fire in three eastern North Carolina counties. The fire started...

FEMA Draft Plan Revisits Use of Trailers for Disaster Victims

Jun 4 2008 // The government may house disaster victims in trailers this hurricane season as a last resort, despite promises never to use them again because of high levels of formaldehyde found in trailers used after the Katrina...

FEMA Tours Flood-Damaged Delaware Coast Area

May 30 2008 // Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are touring the Delaware coast to evaluate damage from recent flooding. There is no timetable for a possible disaster designation. According to representatives...

FEMA Emergency Housing Options Include Pre-Fabricated Cottages

May 30 2008 // Disaster victims might one day watch their homes and communities be rebuilt from the cool comfort of a front porch. The porches are a feature of prefabricated cottages designed for Hurricane Katrina’s victims as an...

Report Tallies Trade-offs of Adding Wind to Federal Flood Insurance

May 19 2008 // Adding wind coverage to the current federal flood and wind insurance program could benefit some policyholders and market participants but would also involve trade-offs, says a new government report. While current...

Report Tallies Trade-offs of Adding Wind to Federal Flood Insurance

May 19 2008 // Adding wind coverage to the current federal flood and wind insurance program could benefit some policyholders and market participants but would also involve trade-offs, says a new government report. While current...

Alabama Joins 3 other Katrina-stricken States to Update House Panel

May 12 2008 // An Alabama official estimates the state needs between $100 million to $110 million – double its allocated federal aid – to address persistent housing needs in 22 counties declared disaster areas from Hurricane...

Senate Advances Renewal of Flood Insurance without Wind Coverage

May 7 2008 // A bill to renew the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) passed a key test vote in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, with aides saying they expected final action on the legislation before the end of the week. The Senate agreed...

Adding Wind to Federal Flood Insurance Invites Trade-Offs

May 6 2008 // Adding wind coverage to the current federal flood and wind insurance program could benefit some policyholders and market participants but would also involve trade-offs, says a new government report. While current...

Kentucky Residents Recovering from Tornadoes Unhappy with Feds

Apr 29 2008 // Allen County, Ky. Judge-Executive Bobby Young has a simple description of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “FEMA is a joke,” Young said. That sentiment – and variations on it – can be heard...

Mississippi Gov. Appeals Fed’s Decision to Deny Emergency Declaration

Apr 22 2008 // Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said he will appeal the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s denial of his request for federal disaster assistance in the wake of destructive tornadoes that struck the state’s...

U.S. Disaster Agency FEMA Improved But Still Lacking, Report Says

Apr 21 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is better prepared for the next disaster but still is not ready for another catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, the agency’s internal investigators say. FEMA...

Mississippi Officials: Feds Came up Short on Jackson Damage Estimates

Apr 17 2008 // Mississippi officials fear that the federal government’s estimate on damage in Jackson from the April 4 tornadoes will jeopardize chances for federal aid. Jackson Public Works Director Thelman Boyd said Tuesday that...

FEMA: Faulty Pumps Could Change Bethlehem, Pa. Flood Map

Apr 11 2008 // Federal officials say failure to repair 15 flood-control pumps along the Lehigh River could cost Bethlehem property owners money. The city argues that the pumps have never been used, and repairs that could cost millions of...

FEMA Says California’s Sprinter Light Rail Dirt Changed Flood Plain

Apr 11 2008 // Some 100,000 cubic yards of dirt dumped on the edge of California’s Loma Alta Creek to elevate Sprinter light rail tracks could be costly for nearby residents and business owners. Federal Emergency Management Agency...

U.S. Disaster Agency FEMA Improved But Still Lacking, Report Says

Apr 4 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency is better prepared for the next disaster but still is not ready for another catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, the agency’s internal investigators say. FEMA has...

Arkansas to Accept FEMA Mobile Homes for Storm Victims

Apr 4 2008 // Governor Mike Beebe, after consulting with Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) Director David Maxwell and Arkansas State Health Officer Dr. Paul Halverson, has decided that Arkansas will accept FEMA mobile...

FEMA: Still too Soon to Assess Arkansas Flood Damage

Apr 2 2008 // Floodwaters still need to recede before officials can determine how damaging two weeks’ worth of flooding was to Arkansas, but leaders said it’s shaping up to be a costly affair. “All indications are that...