Latest FEMA Headlines

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

FEMA Chief Long to Keep Job, Repay Government for Car Misuse

Sep 24 2018 // The head of the federal disaster response agency used government vehicles without proper authorization, but will not lose his job over it, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Friday.Federal Emergency...

After Florence Floods, Uninsured Awaken to Painful Reality

Sep 19 2018 // Flood insurance was far from Stephanie Walker’s mind in 2015 when she moved her family into a home in Fayetteville in central North Carolina, nearly 200 miles (320 km) from the coast.The next year, a creek at the end...

North Carolina Sets Up Insurance Camps, Victim Assistance Centers With FEMA, NFIP

Sep 19 2018 // Consumer assistance centers and insurance camps have been set up in areas of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Florence, according to a statement from North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey.“We are...

Hurricane Florence’s Surge Is Expected to Hit Homes That Already Cost the Government Millions: ProPublica

Sep 18 2018 // Though the flooding from Hurricane Florence is predicted to be unprecedented, residents of the coastal North Carolina towns threatened by the storm surge know what it’s like to take on water. Some homes in these...

FEMA Chief Under Scrutiny Over Use of Government Vehicles

Sep 18 2018 // A demand for documents by a key House Republican adds to the growing pressure on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s chief as he coordinates the government response to Hurricane Florence.On Monday, House...

How 4,000 Federal Workers Are Being Deployed for Hurricane Florence

Sep 14 2018 // As Hurricane Florence churns toward the Carolinas, bearing a potentially lethal ocean surge and winds and torrential rains, the federal government is marshaling its forces to help communities prepare and recover.President...

U.S. Report Says Lack of Staff, Resources, Planning Hurt FEMA’s 2017 Disaster Response

Sep 6 2018 // The federal government’s chief watchdog slammed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to the hurricane that killed thousands of people in Puerto Rico last year, saying it was unprepared and failed...

Judge Says FEMA Can End Motel Payments for Hurricane Maria Evacuees

Aug 30 2018 // A federal judge on Thursday rejected a request to block the U.S. government from cutting off aid to hundreds of Puerto Rican families who fled the hurricane-ravaged island in 2017 and are living in hotels and motels across...

As Hurricane Lane Neared Hawaii FEMA Promises to Do Better

Aug 24 2018 // As a Category 4 hurricane roared toward Hawaii, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said it’s learned the lessons of last year’s devastation of Puerto Rico and is vowing a better response.Calling 2017...

FEMA: Alabamians Need Flood Insurance

Aug 20 2018 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is encouraging those in Alabama to purchase flood insurance.Though flooding is Alabama’s second-most common natural hazard, occurring on average every 12 days, FEMA says...

FEMA Awards Nearly $7.4M to Mississippi for Storm Safe Rooms in Schools

Aug 10 2018 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved almost $7.4 million for the State of Mississippi to fund the construction of eight stand-alone safe rooms designed to withstand winds up to 200 mph at schools in...

Maine to Get More Than $1M in FEMA Aid for Severe Fall Storm

Aug 2 2018 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it has obligated more than $1 million in assistance to Maine stemming from a severe storm and flooding last fall. The agency says the storm impacted 13 of the state’s 16...

FEMA Grows Its Flood Reinsurance Plan with $500 Million Cat Bond

Aug 1 2018 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has secured a reinsurance placement for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that for the first time is directly backed by capital markets investors.FEMA has entered...

Flood Insurance Uptake Rates Rise in Texas Following Harvey

Jul 31 2018 // Little more than two months before Hurricane Harvey slammed the Gulf Coast of Texas, Alberto Castaneda let his home’s flood insurance lapse. He had never filed a claim on the policy in 10 years and he needed the...

Former FEMA Head Wright Now Leading IBHS

Jul 16 2018 // The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) selected Roy E. Wright in April as the next president and chief executive officer of the organization, succeeding Julie Rochman who retired after more than 10...

FEMA Staffing Stretched Thin as Hurricane Season Gets Underway

Jun 14 2018 // As Hurricane Irma bore down on Florida last September, the top U.S. disaster response official ordered all hands on deck.With 4,500 Federal Emergency Management Agency staffers already helping survivors of Hurricane Harvey...

FEMA Assessing Tornado Damage in Connecticut

Jun 14 2018 // Federal Emergency Management Agency officials on Monday began assessing damage from a tornado and a macroburst that hit Connecticut during severe storms last month, a process that could lead to federal aid.Officials...

FEMA Looking to Expand Disaster Reinsurance Program

Jun 13 2018 // The federal government, seeking to protect itself from the growing cost of natural disasters, is borrowing a technique from the private sector and buying reinsurance.The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which started...

Cities Still Owed Funds from Last Hurricane Season as New Season Gets Underway

Jun 1 2018 // Allen Owen, the mayor of Missouri City, Texas, wants to do more to protect his town from the next disaster. But the city hasn’t gotten any of the roughly $1 million in federal disaster funds he said it’s owed...

FEMA Reorganizing, Top Jobs Unfilled as Hurricane Season Gets Underway

May 29 2018 // With the hurricane season beginning, top jobs at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency remain vacant and critics say that will make it harder for the government to respond to disasters.FEMA lacks a second-in-command...