Latest FEMA Headlines

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

U.S. Disaster Agency FEMA Improved But Still Lacking, Report Says

Apr 21 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is better prepared for the next disaster but still is not ready for another catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, the agency’s internal investigators say.FEMA...

Mississippi Officials: Feds Came up Short on Jackson Damage Estimates

Apr 17 2008 // Mississippi officials fear that the federal government’s estimate on damage in Jackson from the April 4 tornadoes will jeopardize chances for federal aid.Jackson Public Works Director Thelman Boyd said Tuesday that...

FEMA: Faulty Pumps Could Change Bethlehem, Pa. Flood Map

Apr 11 2008 // Federal officials say failure to repair 15 flood-control pumps along the Lehigh River could cost Bethlehem property owners money.The city argues that the pumps have never been used, and repairs that could cost millions of...

FEMA Says California’s Sprinter Light Rail Dirt Changed Flood Plain

Apr 11 2008 // Some 100,000 cubic yards of dirt dumped on the edge of California’s Loma Alta Creek to elevate Sprinter light rail tracks could be costly for nearby residents and business owners.Federal Emergency Management Agency...

U.S. Disaster Agency FEMA Improved But Still Lacking, Report Says

Apr 4 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency is better prepared for the next disaster but still is not ready for another catastrophe on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, the agency’s internal investigators say.FEMA has made...

Arkansas to Accept FEMA Mobile Homes for Storm Victims

Apr 4 2008 // Governor Mike Beebe, after consulting with Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) Director David Maxwell and Arkansas State Health Officer Dr. Paul Halverson, has decided that Arkansas will accept FEMA mobile...

FEMA: Still too Soon to Assess Arkansas Flood Damage

Apr 2 2008 // Floodwaters still need to recede before officials can determine how damaging two weeks’ worth of flooding was to Arkansas, but leaders said it’s shaping up to be a costly affair.“All indications are that...

Percentage of Flood-insured Kansans Low Despite Past Flooding

Mar 24 2008 // Only 1.3 percent of Kansas homes carried flood insurance in 2007, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).FEMA is urging Kansans to buy flood insurance during what is the 15th anniversary of the...

FEMA Changes Appeals Process for Rebuilding Projects in La.

Mar 19 2008 // State and federal officials are touting changes to the process for Louisiana communities to appeal decisions by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on funding to rebuild schools, roads, hospitals and other...

Lawyer: New Questions Raised About Toxins in Katrina Trailers

Mar 14 2008 // Federal officials issued trailers to Hurricane Katrina victims even though some workplace safety tests detected high levels of formaldehyde at government staging areas for the structures just weeks after the storm, a...

CDC Official: Reaction to Formaldehyde in Emergency Trailers Too Slow

Mar 6 2008 // The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should have reacted sooner to concerns about hazardous fumes in government-issued trailers housing thousands of Gulf Coast hurricane victims, a CDC official told a...

New Orleans Mayor: No Room at the Inn for Displaced FEMA Trailer Residents

Feb 28 2008 // A plan to move people living in trailers to apartments and hotels because of concerns about formaldehyde fumes will not work and will lead to a “second great displacement” of New Orleans residents, the...

Ala. Gov. Appeals FEMA Decision on Jackson County Storm Damages

Feb 26 2008 // Alabama Gov. Bob Riley said he will appeal a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deny federal disaster assistance to tornado victims in Jackson County.“I’ve discussed this issue with local...

Feds Extend Katrina-Affected Demolition Deadline for New Orleans

Feb 25 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended by six months the deadline under which it would pay for the demolition of hurricane-damaged buildings deemed immediate health and safety threats in the New Orleans...

FEMA Extends Flood Insurance Deadline for Wash., Ore.

Feb 14 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended a claims deadline for people in Washington and Oregon who had flood insurance for December damage.The deadline for returning a detailed proof of loss statement has been...

FEMA Looks at Expanded Use of Trains in Hurricane Evacuations

Feb 13 2008 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency may expand the use of passenger trains to evacuate the sick and elderly in advance of hurricanes across the Gulf Coast, a FEMA official said.Glenn Cannon, a FEMA assistant...

Ill. Officials Accuse FEMA of Miscounting Flooded Homes

Feb 13 2008 // Federal officials were mired in political favoritism and miscounted the number of damaged homes in rejecting two Illinois counties’ applications for disaster relief, local Illinios officials said this week.Leaders...

Ark. Gov. Declares 3 More Counties Disaster Areas

Feb 12 2008 // Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has added Franklin, Marion and Newton Counties to the list of state disaster areas due to the damage caused by powerful tornadoes and violent thunderstorms on Feb. 5, taking the total to 13...

Government Report Urges Changes in Wind, Flood Damage Determinations

Feb 10 2008 // Government adjusters trying to assess the accuracy of flood claims payments from the 2005 hurricane season were hampered by a lack of access to data on wind damage from the National Flood Insurance Program and private...

GAO Urges Changes in Wind, Flood Damage Determinations

Feb 1 2008 // Government adjusters trying to assess the accuracy of flood claims payments from the 2005 hurricane season were hampered by a lack of access to data on wind damage from the National Flood Insurance Program and private...