Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) News

Maryland’s Smith Island Commits to Rebuilding Community, Rejecting Buyouts

SMITH ISLAND, Md. (AP) โ€” For the people of Smith Island, weather guides a way of life as much as the tranquil atmosphere for which it has become known. Hurricanes with names like Hazel, Agnes, Isabel and Irene become part …

FEMA’s Home Buyout Program Weighted in Bureaucracy, Lacks Equity: Cornell

As climate change threatens residential areas, a longtime federal home buyout program โ€“ designed to eliminate risk to people and property โ€“ has become bureaucratically inaccessible and inequitable, according to researchers at Cornell University. To offer solutions, the researchers compared …

FEMA Projects $3.5-$5.3B NFIP Losses for Hurricane Ian

n Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced an initial estimate of Hurricane Ian losses for the National Flood Insurance Program, putting them in the range of $3.5-$5.3 billion, including loss adjustment expenses. The losses include flood insurance claims received …

Update: FEMA Flood Maps are Misleading, Blocking Insurance Uptake, Report Shows

This article was updated Nov. 6, 2022 to include more information from FEMA and Neptune Flood Insurance. Researchers at North Carolina State University have added their voices to the growing number of people who say that federal flood maps are …

Biden Admin Announces $3 Billion in FEMA Climate Resilience Funding

The Biden administration on Friday announced it is putting more than $3 billion into two federal programs to help communities deal with floods, wildfires, extreme heat and other problems imposed by climate change. Funding for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and …

FEMA Adds Floyd, Pike Counties for Kentucky Flood Assistance

Federal emergency officials have expanded the number of flood-stricken counties in eastern Kentucky that are eligible for individual assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency added Floyd and Pike counties to the list, Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said. The expansion was …

FEMA Report: Flood Insurance Hikes Will Drive 1 Million From Market

When questioned by members of Congress, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said its new update to the nation’s flood insurance program will prompt more people to sign up for coverage, even though many will pay more for it. But in …

7,500 Louisiana Ida Victims Move From Tent Camps to Trailers

More than four months after Hurricane Ida destroyed or did major damage to their houses, some Louisiana residents are just now moving from tent camps to government-supplied mobile homes and RV trailers. Shantell Campbell of Houma and her three school-aged …

Louisiana Mayor: 300-400 Buildings Condemned From Hurricane Laura Damage

A Louisiana mayor says 300 to 400 commercial buildings damaged last year by Hurricane Laura are being condemned or marked for demolition. Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter told the City Council on Wednesday that he realizes business owners have needed …

Rates to Rise for Millions of Homeowners Under National Flood Insurance Program

The federal government Friday rolled out a flood-insurance program revamped to reflect worsening climate change, a program that will raise rates for millions of homeowners in wealthy coastal areas and humble inland communities alike. The Federal Emergency Management Agency in …