Latest FEMA Headlines

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

Environmentalists Say Flood Insurance Program Threatens Desert Riverbeds, Endangered Species

Sep 21 2009 // An environmental group is trying to slow development near ecologically fragile dry washes and desert riverbeds in Arizona by targeting the federal agency that provides the flood insurance essential to building...

First Trial over FEMA Trailer Fumes Set to Begin in New Orleans

Sep 14 2009 // Years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita left thousands of families living in government-issued trailers, one of the first trials is set to begin over whether dangerous fumes from the temporary homes sickened storm...

Kentucky Flood Victims With Insurance Might Also Be Eligible for Disaster Aid

Sep 10 2009 // Kentucky residents who suffered from severe flooding in Jefferson County last month may still be eligible for federal or state government disaster aid even if they have insurance.The Federal Emergency Management Agency is...

FEMA Delays Disputed Flood Map for Kansas Community

Sep 4 2009 // Federal authorities this week delayed implementation of a new flood plain map for Garden City, Kan., just days before local officials planned to ask a federal judge to block it.A hearing scheduled for Thursday in U.S....

Numbers Tell of Reconstruction of Mississippi Since Hurricane Katrina

Aug 26 2009 // August 29 will mark four years since Hurricane Katrina pummeled Mississippi. Since then, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in partnership with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and other state and...

Environmental Groups Sue FEMA Over Oregon Flood Maps

Aug 6 2009 // The Audubon Society of Portland has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency for failing to ensure that its remapping of flood zones for the National Flood Insurance Program does not jeopardize...

FEMA, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Disagree on Flood Damage Costs

Jul 21 2009 // Damage from last year’s record flooding in Iowa is estimated to be between $8 billion and $10 billion, and the total amount of federal disaster money allocated to the state is now more than $3 billion.Half of that...

FEMA Investigators Probing Western Pennsylvania Storm Toll

Jun 26 2009 // Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are expected to survey damage in two Pittsburgh-area communities that are seeking disaster aid for severe storm damage last week.The FEMA workers are expected to visit Turtle...

Missoula Concerned About New Flood Plain Maps

May 13 2009 // Some Missoula County, Mont., residents say they’re concerned about newly released Federal Emergency Management Agency maps showing which properties are located in flood plains.The concerned residents include...

Few in Flood Zone Have Insurance

Mar 31 2009 // As North Dakota’s Red River crept within view of their backyard this past week, Denette and Billy Narum had an extra incentive to pray their sandbags held. Like most people in the path of potential floods, they have...

Obama’s Grabs Florida’s Fugate to Head FEMA

Mar 23 2009 // Florida emergency manager Craig Fugate would bring a lot with him if he takes over the Federal Emergency Management Agency: plenty of hurricane experience, a blunt style, and a belief that preparation begins on the local...

More Iowa Flood-Damaged Homes Face Demolition with FEMA OK

Mar 19 2009 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given Cedar Rapids approval to proceed with the demolition of about 300 flood-damaged homes.City utilities director Pat Ball says the agreement with FEMA specifies that homes...

Mississippi’s Olive Branch to Contest FEMA Flood Maps

Mar 19 2009 // Olive Branch, Mississippi officials have agreed to hire a firm to help the city challenge Federal Emergency Management Agency maps that identify a number of homes as being in flood zones.Being inside a flood zone results...

The Paradox of Flood Insurance Coverage

Mar 17 2009 // Whether you are an attorney, an insurance agent, adjuster or broker, or an individual insured, when dealing with claims under flood insurance policies, you may be surprised to discover that many things you think you know...

Obama’s FEMA Director Brings Hurricane Experience from Florida

Mar 16 2009 // Florida emergency manager Craig Fugate would bring a lot with him if he takes over the Federal Emergency Management Agency: plenty of hurricane experience, a blunt style, and a belief that preparation begins on the local...

The Flood Insurance Coverage Paradox

Mar 9 2009 // When dealing with claims under flood insurance policies, you may be surprised that many things you think you know are wrong, and, particularly for insureds, many things you think you don’t know, you are deemed to...

First Trial Dates Set For FEMA Trailer Suits in New Orleans

Feb 12 2009 // A federal judge in New Orleans has scheduled the first four trials for a batch of lawsuits filed on behalf of hurricane victims who claim they were exposed to potentially toxic fumes while living in government-issued...

FEMA Preparing for Spring Floods in North Dakota

Feb 11 2009 // With record snowfall in North Dakota this winter and traditionally heavy snow months still to come, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is getting prepared to help state officials deal with spring flooding.FEMA...

FEMA Director Visits Kentucky Area Still Recovering From Ice Storm

Feb 6 2009 // When O’Neill Lawrence returned from a supply run to his western Kentucky farm in Leitchfield, Kentucky, on Wednesday, he met FEMA’s top official at his gate. One of thousands without electricity more than a...

FEMA Under Scrutiny for Ice Storm Response in Kentucky

Feb 4 2009 // In the first real test of the Obama administration’s ability to respond to a disaster, Kentucky officials are giving the federal government good marks for its response to a deadly ice storm.Yet more than 300,000...