DISASTER RECOVERYStates Reeling from Winter Storm Encounter a Smaller FEMA
The Trump administration was quick to mobilize initial aid, but it’s not clear how a shrunken agency will handle the long-term recovery costs.
States slammed by a deadly, multiday winter storm that left hundreds of thousands of people without power in bitter cold are looking to a slimmed-down Federal Emergency Management Agency for support.
The immediate aftermath of the wide-sweeping storm — and the recovery process on the horizon — will provide another test for the second Trump administration’s reshaped disaster response agency.
Trump has approved emergency declarations for 12 states. That opens pathways for state governments to access federal assistance for immediate, life-saving needs, at FEMA’s discretion.
The declarations allow hard-hit states such as Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi to tap into federal resources as state and local governments work to restore power, clear roads, and otherwise lessen the disaster’s overall impact.
FEMA announced in the immediate aftermath of the storm that it would deliver medical equipment, 485,000 meals, 770,000 liters of water, 2,200 cots, 90 generators and 71 semi trucks with drivers to staging sites in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. FEMA’s distribution centers hold additional resources, including generators, millions of meals and liters of water, and more than 650,000 blankets.
The federal government will cover 75% of the costs for these emergency protective measures, up to $5 million.
FEMA in Action
That assistance has proved useful in Louisiana, said Mike Steele, communications director at the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. In that state, damage largely impacted rural areas where fewer personnel are available to juggle the many moving parts of emergency response.
One of FEMA’s Incident Management Assistance Teams has been on the ground in Louisiana since the worst of the weather hit, helping identify and coordinate any needed federal support. FEMA has also provided generators, ready-to-eat meals and water for local and state responders to distribute.
Louisiana plans to seek more federal help with debris removal and full reimbursement from the federal government for emergency services costs in the first 30 days of disaster response. Louisiana officials met Wednesday with regional FEMA administrators to begin discussions about long-term needs.
Mississippi has likewise distributed generators, water, more than 100,000 meals, cots, blankets and tarps from FEMA, Gov. Tate Reeves said in a Wednesday news conference. The state has received more than 350 requests for supplies from 40 counties, Reeves said.
