Latest FEMA Headlines
All the headlines from our FEMA Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Can Federal Flood Insurance Handle Irene Losses?
Aug 31 2011 // The only thing worse than getting flooded out of your home once is getting flooded out of it twice. Or, for that matter, over and over again. Margaret Wert bought her Wayne, New Jersey house in 1999, relying on assurances...
With FEMA Running Low on Funds, Irene Revives Budget Battle
Aug 30 2011 // Washington’s never-ending budget battle threatened to snarl the recovery from Hurricane Irene as a top Republican said Monday that any federal aid will have to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere. “Yes...
Ark. Tornado Survivors Can Appeal Aid Decisions
Aug 12 2011 // People in western Arkansas who were hit by tornadoes and storms might have been turned down for disaster aid on their first try. But officials said that isn’t always the final answer. “A letter that says you...
Judge Tosses Suit Challenging FEMA Flood Mapping in Illinois
Aug 4 2011 // A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit three southwestern Illinois counties filed to block the U.S. government from declaring the region’s levees functionally useless. U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert called the...
Oklahoma Resident’s Protests Prompt Flood Map Change
Jul 25 2011 // Residents of Lake McAlester in Oklahoma are no longer in a Federal Emergency Management Area flood zone after an uncommon re-mapping of the area. “This is the only area in the state of Oklahoma that has been ever...
Federal Bill Offers Break for Properties in Certain Flood Zones
Jul 15 2011 // Overseers of levees in southwestern Illinois welcomed the advance of a federal measure that could give thousands of property owners up to a five-year reprieve in having to buy costly flood insurance in areas with...
House Approves Flood Insurance Program Renewal, Reforms
Jul 13 2011 // The House of Representatives has approved a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the federal flood insurance program for five years and change some of its practices to improve its financial operations. The measure to renew and...
Midwest Agents Say FEMA Creating Flood Insurance Confusion
Jul 12 2011 // Insurance agents in states along the swollen Missouri River basin say federal officials are causing widespread confusion among property owners by pushing the sale of flood insurance policies that might not cover damage...
Feds Intervene in Lawsuit over FEMA Contract
Jul 7 2011 // The Justice Department has intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit that accuses a New Orleans, La., construction company of submitting forged records so it could cash in on a $28 million federal contract for work on...
FEMA to Continue Insurance Sales in Midwest Amid Flooding
Jul 7 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency says residents along the Missouri River should buy flood insurance now even though new policies likely won’t cover losses from the floods that began in June. South Dakota Sen....
Alabama Governor Vows Tornado, Home Insurance Help
Jul 4 2011 // Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said he’s not looking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or anyone else to lead the state’s recovery. “Just like I have taken the leadership role in the disaster,...
Alabama, FEMA Leaders Meet to Plan State’s Tornado Recovery
Jun 24 2011 // More than 60 representatives of private, public and nonprofit groups are discussing ways to help Alabama recover from an outbreak of deadly tornadoes that struck April 27. This week’s meeting was the first meeting of...
Many Changes Expected in New Louisiana Flood Map
Jun 21 2011 // A new flood map for Louisiana’s Lafayette Parish is expected to offer a mixed bag, shrinking flood zones in some areas while making large tracts of vacant land more difficult to develop. The final version of the...
Alabama Governor Tackles Tornado Recovery, Home Insurance Options
Jun 20 2011 // Anyone with a suggestion or complaint about Alabama’s recovery from the deadly tornadoes in April should know that the buck stops with the governor. Gov. Robert Bentley said he’s not looking to the Federal...
FEMA Tallies Hawaii Damage from Japan Tsunami at $6.2 Million
Jun 14 2011 // Federal aid has been approved for those in Hawaii affected by tsunami waves from the March earthquake in Japan. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that so far the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved 14...
FEMA Awards $1.2M Tsunami Grant to Oregon County
Jun 13 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a disaster relief grant of nearly $1.2 million to Oregon’s Curry County to help repair and replace public infrastructure damaged by the tsunami waves from the...
States Hit Hardest by Recent Tornadoes Among Least Insured
May 27 2011 // Many of the states hammered by what’s already the deadliest year for tornadoes in more than half a century have among the nation’s highest rates of homes without hazard insurance despite being among the most...
FEMA Criticized for Letters to Alabama Storm Victims
May 23 2011 // The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Friday it has provided grants to about 15 percent of the more than 72,000 people who sought assistance after tornadoes killed hundreds across Alabama last month, but twice as...
Insurers Fight over Flood Policies Dropped by State Farm
May 16 2011 // Major U.S. insurers are pushing to gain control of 800,000 former State Farm flood insurance policies as lawmakers contemplate reforms to the nation’s flood insurance system. The conflict began last year when State...
FEMA Asking for Return of Disaster Aid
May 12 2011 // After Iowa’s raging Cedar River filled his home with 13 feet of water and ruined most of his possessions, Justin Van Fleet pleaded for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get back on his feet. Dead...
