Latest FEMA Headlines

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

ICT Pegs Hurricane Harvey Insured Losses at $19B

Sep 15 2017 // The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) has placed the insured losses from Hurricane Harvey at $19 billion. That number includes an estimated $11 billion in flood losses insured by the National Flood Insurance Program.Insured...

FEMA: 25% of Florida Keys Homes Destroyed by Irma

Sep 14 2017 // With 25 percent of the homes in the Florida Keys feared destroyed, emergency workers Tuesday rushed to find Hurricane Irma’s victims – dead or alive – and deliver food and water to the stricken island chain.As...

Congress Eyes More FEMA Disaster Aid, Short-Term Flood Insurance Renewal

Sep 7 2017 // The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency will run out of disaster assistance funding on Friday unless Congress approves more money, two Florida senators warned on Thursday.As Hurricane Irma barrels through the...

Why the Number of Coastal Homeowners with Flood Insurance Has Been Shrinking

Sep 7 2017 // Amanda Spartz nearly did not renew her home’s flood insurance policy after her first year in Florida. Two hurricanes came close to the Fort Lauderdale suburbs last year, but they didn’t hit and her home...

Harvey, Houston, America, Politics and Building Codes

Aug 31 2017 // Jerry Garcia’s home in Corpus Christi missed the worst of Hurricane Harvey by just a few miles and lost nothing more than some shingles and his backyard pier, which turned up further down Oso Bay. A 5-foot bulkhead...

FEMA Asked to Reconsider Minot Flood Risk Map

Aug 25 2017 // The Souris River Joint Board has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to review the preliminary flood risk map for Minot.Board members said the failure to consider the operations of Canadian dams in the...

Hurricane Harvey Looks to Be First Big Test for Trump FEMA Director Long

Aug 25 2017 // Brock Long knew it was just a matter of time.“We’ve gone 11 years without a major hurricane land-falling in the U.S.—that’s a one-in-2,000 chance,” said Long, President Donald Trump’s...

Trump FEMA Chief Backs Reducing Federal Role in Disaster Relief, Flood Insurance

Aug 23 2017 // President Donald Trump’s emergency management director said he’s pushing for an overhaul of disaster relief so that states, cities and homeowners bear more of the costs, and less of the risk falls on the...

FEMA to Reimburse Tennessee Facility Owners for Storm Repairs

Aug 1 2017 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it plans to reimburse facility owners in 14 Tennessee counties for repair costs from storm-related damage on May 27 and 28. FEMA says in a news release that the notice applies...

FEMA Says ‘No’ to Taking Back $2B in Katrina Funds from New Orleans

Jul 31 2017 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency should take back $2 billion dollars in grants approved to fix New Orleans sewers and water pipes damaged by Hurricane Katrina, and to repair streets afterward, a federal audit says....

House Committee Adds 5 More Bills to Its Flood Insurance Reform Package

Jun 22 2017 // The House Financial Services Committee advanced five flood insurance proposals on Wednesday, adding to the two bills it passed last week.The House measures seek to reform and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance...

Senate Confirms New FEMA Chief Long

Jun 21 2017 // Brock Long was cleared by the Senate to become President Donald Trump’s emergency-management director Tuesday after gaining the support of one unlikely constituency: environmentalists.While climate advocates panned...

House Panel Gets Down to Business on Flood Insurance Proposals

Jun 15 2017 // House lawmakers are weighing seven proposals to renew and reform the federal flood insurance program, an area where there is a good amount of bipartisan agreement that something should be done and even on what to do.The...

Active Atlantic Hurricane Season Looms – as Odds Drop of El Niño Formation

Jun 9 2017 // Forecasters again lowered the odds of El Niño forming by year’s end, a scenario that may mean more Atlantic hurricanes at a time when federal agencies charged with predicting and responding to natural disasters lack...

Flood Program Reauthorization: Why Congress Must Act

Jun 8 2017 // As the clock ticks down toward expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the task ahead is clear. Congress must pass an on-time, multi-year reauthorization bill that simplifies the overly complicated NFIP,...

Here’s What the House Has in Mind for Revamping Flood Insurance Program

May 26 2017 // A much-anticipated House subcommittee proposal on flood insurance promises to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for five years beyond its September 30 expiration date.The proposal would introduce...

Idaho City Assessing Flood Risks Prior to Federal Maps Release

May 15 2017 // Boise, Idaho, officials have expressed concerns with federal maps that propose adding hundreds of acres to a flood plain in the city, which could increase the cost and difficulty of buying or developing nearby property.The...

Storm Damage Assessors Rely on Waffle House’s 24-Hour Service Policy

Apr 28 2017 // The emphasis on 24-hour service at Waffle House — hurricane or shine — has earned the company a reputation among professional emergency managers, who make rough estimates of storm damage by looking to the local eatery....

Senate Bill Would Extend National Flood Insurance Program for 10 Years

Apr 28 2017 // U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) have released draft legislation to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for 10 years. The NFIP is currently set to expire on Sept. 30,...

Idaho City Assessing Flood Risks Prior to Federal Maps Release

Apr 26 2017 // Boise, Idaho officials have expressed concerns with federal maps that propose adding hundreds of acres to a flood plain in the city, which could increase the cost and difficulty of buying or developing nearby property.The...