Latest FEMA Headlines

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

Cape Coral Says FEMA Giving More Time on Questioned Rebuilding Info After Ian

Apr 23 2024 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted the city of Cape Coral a 30-day extension to provide more information on rebuilding in the area after Hurricane Ian.The announcement came Monday, three weeks after FEMA...

FEMA: SW Florida Stripped of Flood Insurance Discounts After ‘Improper Rebuilds’

Apr 1 2024 // After spiking premiums, nonrenewals and complaints about unpaid claims, more than 115,000 property owners in southwest Florida are now facing a new slap in the face after 2022’s Hurricane Ian: 25% higher flood...

FEMA Adds $575M Reinsurance Coverage for NFIP

Mar 11 2024 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) late last week said that for the seventh time it went to the insurance-linked securities reinsurance markets to secure $575 million in coverage for the National Flood...

Newer, Elevated Structures Had Much Smaller Flood Claims in Ian, FEMA Says

Feb 6 2024 // Hurricane Ian caused extensive damage in southwest Florida, with more than 37,000 National Flood Insurance Program claims, making it the fourth-most expensive flood disaster in U.S. history, says a new report from the...

New FEMA Rules Aim to Cut the Red Tape of Disaster Recovery

Jan 22 2024 // Anyone who has lived through a natural disaster and then applied to the federal government for assistance knows that it can be a lengthy, frustrating and bureaucratic process. New rules announced Friday by the federal...

FEMA Adds Nearly $620M to Reinsurance Program

Jan 8 2024 // FEMA announced that the agency is transferring $619.5 million more of the National Flood Insurance Program’s financial risk to the private reinsurance market as part of its 2024 reinsurance placement.The 2024...

FEMA Raises Federal Cost Share to 90% of Eligible Hurricane Ian Recovery in Florida

Oct 26 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has raised the federal cost share for funding assistance, potentially making millions more dollars available to Florida authorities for Hurricane Ian recovery efforts in Florida, the...

FEMA Sets Up Free Legal Help for Florida Idalia Victims

Oct 2 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that free legal assistance is now available to help Hurricane Idalia victims in Florida with insurance claims, government benefits and other matters.For people in 16...

FEMA Disaster Aid Now Available in Maine for June Flooding

Sep 8 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Maine to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe storm and...

FEMA Names Nearly 500 US Communities as ‘Resilience Zones’

Sep 7 2023 // Rikers Island in the Bronx, New York, made the list due to its extreme vulnerability to flooding. Lincoln, Wyoming, was selected because of its high avalanche risk. And the danger of both earthquakes and drought propelled...

FEMA Has Paid Out $5.6M so far to Hawaii Wildfire Survivors

Aug 24 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it has approved more than $5.6 million in assistance to nearly 2,000 households in Maui so far as the federal government tries to help survivors of the devastating wildfires.The...

Severe Weather Set to Boost US Disaster Funding Needs, FEMA Says

Aug 22 2023 // Growing extreme-weather risks mean President Joe Biden’s expected request for billions in extra disaster-relief funding might not be enough for the next fiscal year, FEMA head Deanne Criswell said.Biden’s...

FEMA Denies Georgia County’s Request for Help After March Tornado

Jun 26 2023 // Months after an EF-3 tornado tore through a Georgia county southwest of Atlanta officials said a federal agency has denied its request for additional help in the recovery.”Obviously we’re extremely disappointed...

FEMA Hit by Multi-State Lawsuit Over Flood Insurance Rating Formula

Jun 2 2023 // A federal lawsuit claims FEMA failed to take into account skyrocketing flood insurance costs generated by its new rating system, Risk Rating 2.0.Ten states, along with 43 Louisiana parishes and more than a dozen levee...

FEMA Releases New Flood Insurance Rates by ZIP Code. Brace for Impact.

May 22 2023 // When the Federal Emergency Management Agency unveiled its new Risk Rating 2.0 methodology for calculating flood insurance, advocates and critics alike warned that it would mean higher premiums for thousands of property...

New Mexico Officials Say FEMA Delays Create Mistrust Among Wildfire Victims

May 12 2023 // Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are criticizing federal emergency managers for missing deadlines as residents seek recovery assistance following the largest wildfire in the state’s recorded...

FEMA Releases New Flood Insurance Rates by ZIP Code. Brace for Impact.

May 8 2023 // When the Federal Emergency Management Agency unveiled its new Risk Rating 2.0 methodology for calculating flood insurance, advocates and critics alike warned that it would mean higher premiums for thousands of property...

Louisiana Parish Sues FEMA Over Flood Rate Information

May 2 2023 // A Louisiana parish is suing FEMA for withholding flood insurance rating methodology, alleging the agency has denied residents from viewing data used to set rates under the National Flood Insurance Program’s Risk...

New Mexicans Affected by Last Year’s Wildfire Get FEMA Aid

Apr 27 2023 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Claims Office, charged with administering nearly $4 billion in emergency financial aid for survivors of last year’s record-breaking wildfire in New...

FEMA Index Offers Closer Look at Social Risks in Disaster Resilience

Mar 31 2023 // The free digital tool that the US government gives communities to help evaluate local risks from 18 natural hazards is getting a makeover.The Federal Emergency Management Agency introduced the National Risk Index last...