disaster recovery News

Q&A: New Director Criswell Prepares FEMA for a Hot, Chaotic Future

Deanne Criswell, the first woman to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in April took over a 20,000-person operation exhausted by managing responses to disasters linked to global warming: wildfires and the 2020 hurricane season, the most active on record. …

Nebraska to Offer Additional Payments for 2019 Flood Recovery

Nebraska will pay out public assistance beyond what it normally offers to local governments hit by the 2019 floods, a state agency announced. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency said Gov. Pete Ricketts has approved the payments for the state’s share …

FEMA Knows About Trying to Build Back Better Infrastructure

Lawmakers in Washington are gearing up for the Biden administration’s first major legislative challenge: a set of measures on long-term economic priorities, including infrastructure and jobs, expected to cost roughly $3 trillion. Key to President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better …

How to Manage Two Disasters at Same Time

On March 5, Tennessee governor Bill Lee announced the state’s first confirmed case of Covid-19. Three weeks later on Easter Sunday, tornadoes touched down outside of Chattanooga, killing four people and flattening 2,000 structures. Since the start of the pandemic, …

Another $180M Approved for North Carolina Disaster Aid, Prep

Another $180 million in state funds are going to help with disaster recovery following hurricanes Matthew, Florence and Dorian and to prepare for North Carolina’s next storm. The state House and Senate voted on Thursday for a negotiated package that …

Southern California Begins Assessing Damage From Largest Earthquake in 20 Years

RIDGECREST, Calif. — Crews in Southern California assessed damage to cracked and burned buildings, broken roads, leaking water and gas lines and other infrastructure Saturday after the largest earthquake the region has seen in nearly 20 years jolted an area …

U.S. Spends Billions on Disaster Aid Over Investing in More Lasting Preparedness

Forecasters are expecting this year’s North Atlantic hurricane season to be roughly average, with about 14 named storms including six full-fledged hurricanes. Last week, the government finally dealt with the fallout from 2018, enacting a $19.1 billion relief package to …

Repairing Homes After Disasters Requires Planning, Patience Even with Insurance

For the Parkers of Houston, Texas, there will be no summer vacation this year because they are still paying off the dent in their finances left by 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. The couple joins a growing list of people forced to …

Managing Natural Disasters Becomes Priority for Nation’s Governors

Governors have a wide range of priorities they want to tackle in the coming year, from tax reform to education. Yet it’s a topic that receives less attention on the campaign trail and in their speeches that could determine their …

Hong Kong, Southern China Restoring Operations After Super Typhoon

The financial hub of Hong Kong began clearing up on Monday after being battered by one of the strongest typhoons in recent years, with financial markets and offices operating as normal. Super typhoon Mangkhut, with hurricane-force winds well over 200 …