Emergency Response
Supreme Court’s ruling on Chevron framework will lead to policy shifts by federal emergency management and housing agencies
COMMENTARY | The changes the ruling brings will have real-world implications, argues one former FEMA official.
FEMA is promising to be more 'forward-leaning' this hurricane season
The agency wants to get its staff deployed earlier in the process ahead of what is shaping up to be an intense period of potential disasters.
Under-resourced FEMA would see new commitment to growing workforce under bipartisan bill
The agency has struggled to keep pace with new and increased demands.
FEMA is making an example of this Florida boomtown. Locals call it ‘revenge politics’
The Biden administration is trying to punish Lee County for rebuilding flood-prone homes. The state’s Republican politicians are fighting back.
Maryland delegation to launch bipartisan push for funds to rebuild collapsed Baltimore bridge
A pending bill would allow the state to avoid incurring 10% of the costs of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Indigenous Pacific wildfire survivors on Maui can finally get FEMA help
The new fiscal 2024 spending bill has re-established Compact of Free Association citizens' access to federal safety net programs after it was inadvertently removed by the 1996 Welfare Reform Act.
Rebuilding the collapsed Baltimore bridge ‘will not be quick or easy or cheap,’ Buttigieg says
Reopening the Port of Baltimore is among the Biden administration’s top priorities in the aftermath of the collapse.
Biden vows to rebuild collapsed Baltimore bridge as feds lead emergency response
Six people remain missing after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River early Tuesday when a cargo ship lost control and crashed into a support column.
Lawmakers debate the role of an overworked and under-resourced FEMA
Despite some hiring success, FEMA is taking on more tasks while operating at 65% capacity.
10 strategies HHS could use to bolster its preparedness for public health emergencies
COMMENTARY | The Health and Human Services Department should lean in on improving employee engagement and collaboration, writes one observer.
With catastrophes on the rise, a new report outlines how agencies can integrate their response
A new study from the National Academy of Public Administration and the IBM Center for the Business of Government details strategies the federal government can take to absorb the shock of unprecedented national and international events and mitigate their institutional risks.
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With wildfires looming, Congress must act to prevent an exodus of firefighters
COMMENTARY | Firefighters protect communities and people, asking for little in return: equipment to do our jobs safely, benefits that recognize the inherent dangers of our work, and pay that is sufficient to take care of our families, writes one advocate.
Biden administration soliciting volunteers throughout government to deploy for disaster response
FEMA has said the assignments from other agencies could help ensure an adequate recovery effort.
Feds pre-deploy to Florida in anticipation of major hurricane
FEMA looks to manage workforce shortages as it responds to multiple crises at once.
Biden looks to ramp up federal involvement in extreme heat response
Amid record heat waves and calls for more federal action, FEMA will host an extreme heat summit next week.
A small transportation safety agency is struggling to keep pace with growing responsibilities
Faced with “extremely limited resources" and the same staffing level it had 20 years ago, the NTSB is trying to do more with less.
Hundreds of federal employees deploy to Hawaii to assist in wildfire response
Agencies with offices and personnel on the island are also scrambling to accommodate staff and provide continuity of services.
Biden requests $40B to boost funding at select agencies
Border security, federal firefighter pay and Ukraine aid are part of the emergency request.
Biden grapples with the federal government’s role in a future fraught with extreme heat
Heat is a leading killer, but FEMA has not deployed for it as it has for floods and fires.
FEMA has so far paid out less than 1% of what Congress allocated for victims of New Mexico wildfire
The emergency management agency has paid just $3 million in claims out of $3.96 billion Congress allocated, and the bulk of the payments went to the city of Las Vegas, N.M., rather than individual fire victims.
