Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) News

FEMA Head ‘Ticked Off’ Over Cycle of Inadequate Storm Preparation, Insurance, Evacuations

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long angrily criticized the failure of citizens to heed evacuation warnings and leaders to better prepare for natural disasters such as Hurricane Michael. “It’s frustrating to us because we repeat this same cycle over …

After Florence Floods, Uninsured Awaken to Painful Reality

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 …

FEMA: Alabamians Need Flood Insurance

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 only a small percentage of people living in Alabama …

FEMA Staffing Stretched Thin as Hurricane Season Gets Underway

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 in Texas, FEMA chief Brock Long told …

FEMA Reorganizing, Top Jobs Unfilled as Hurricane Season Gets Underway

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 and three of four associate-administrator …

Disaster Declaration Approved for North Carolina Tornado

President Donald Trump has approved a request from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for a federal disaster declaration for tornado damage in Guilford and Rockingham counties. Cooper declared a state of emergency for Guilford and Rockingham counties on April 20 …

FEMA Hosts Flood Insurance Roundtable in West Virginia

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III and the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (WVDHSEM) hosted the first-ever West Virginia Flood Insurance Partners Roundtable in White Sulphur Springs, W.V. last month. According to a statement …

State of Emergency Declared for 2 North Carolina Counties Hit by Tornado

Gov. Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency in two North Carolina counties which suffered major damage from a tornado. Cooper’s declaration Friday for Guilford and Rockingham counties means state government resources can help governments with recovery efforts. It …

Mississippi’s Coldwater River Reaches Record Flood Level

Volunteers are sandbagging homes in the Mississippi Delta, as heavy rains push a river toward a record flood. Pastor Anthony Dean tells WREG-TV that at least one home has already flooded in Quitman County, as the Coldwater River spreads over …

Disasters Affected 8% of U.S. Population in 2017, FEMA Notes in Review of Historic Year

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) supported 59 major disaster declarations and 16 emergency declarations in 2017, a year during which unprecedented disasters affected more than 25 million Americans, almost eight percent of the U.S. population. In its year-end review, …