[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM: OVERSIGHT OF
FEMA'S DISASTER READINESS AND RESPONSE
=======================================================================
(118-74)
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
NOVEMBER 19, 2024
__________
Printed for the use of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available online at: https://www.govinfo.gov/committee/house-
transportation?path=/browsecommittee/chamber/house/committee/
transportation
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
58-949 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
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COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Sam Graves, Missouri, Chairman
Rick Larsen, Washington, Ranking Member
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Eric A. ``Rick'' Crawford,
District of Columbia Arkansas
Grace F. Napolitano, California Daniel Webster, Florida
Steve Cohen, Tennessee Thomas Massie, Kentucky
John Garamendi, California Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Georgiaian Babin, Texas
Andre Carson, Indiana Garret Graves, Louisiana
Dina Titus, Nevada David Rouzer, North Carolina
Jared Huffman, California Mike Bost, Illinois
Julia Brownley, California Doug LaMalfa, California
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida Bruce Westerman, Arkansas
Mark DeSaulnier, California Brian J. Mast, Florida
Salud O. Carbajal, California Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,
Greg Stanton, Arizona, Puerto Rico
Vice Ranking Member Pete Stauber, Minnesota
Colin Z. Allred, Texas Tim Burchett, Tennessee
Sharice Davids, Kansas Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
Jesus G. ``Chuy'' Garcia, Illinois Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey,
Chris Pappas, New Hampshire Vice Chairman
Seth Moulton, Massachusetts Troy E. Nehls, Texas
Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts Tracey Mann, Kansas
Marilyn Strickland, Washington Burgess Owens, Utah
Troy A. Carter, Louisiana Rudy Yakym III, Indiana
Patrick Ryan, New York Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon
Mary Sattler Peltola, Alaska Thomas H. Kean, Jr., New Jersey
Robert Menendez, New Jersey Anthony D'Esposito, New York
Val T. Hoyle, Oregon Eric Burlison, Missouri
Emilia Strong Sykes, Ohio Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin
Hillary J. Scholten, Michigan Brandon Williams, New York
Valerie P. Foushee, North Carolina Marcus J. Molinaro, New York
Christopher R. Deluzio, Pennsylvania Mike Collins, Georgia
Mike Ezell, Mississippi
John S. Duarte, California
Aaron Bean, Florida
Celeste Maloy, Utah
Kevin Kiley, California
Vince Fong, California
------ 7
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and
Emergency Management
Scott Perry, Pennsylvania,
Chairman
Dina Titus, Nevada, Ranking Member
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Garret Graves, Louisiana
District of Columbia Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,
Sharice Davids, Kansas, Puerto Rico
Vice Ranking Member Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Oregon,
Troy A. Carter, Louisiana Vice Chairman
Grace F. Napolitano, California Anthony D'Esposito, New York
John Garamendi, California Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin
Jared Huffman, California Mike Ezell, Mississippi
Rick Larsen, Washington (Ex Officio) Celeste Maloy, Utah
Sam Graves, Missouri (Ex Officio)
CONTENTS
Page
Summary of Subject Matter........................................ v
STATEMENTS OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE
Hon. Scott Perry, a Representative in Congress from the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Chairman, Subcommittee on
Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency
Management, opening statement.................................. 1
Prepared statement........................................... 3
Hon. Dina Titus, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Nevada, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Economic
Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management,
opening statement.............................................. 5
Prepared statement........................................... 6
Hon. Sam Graves, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Missouri, and Chairman, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, opening statement.............................. 7
Prepared statement........................................... 8
Hon. Rick Larsen, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Washington, and Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, opening statement.............................. 8
Prepared statement........................................... 10
WITNESSES
Panel 1
Hon. Chuck Edwards, a Representative in Congress from the State
of North Carolina, oral statement.............................. 12
Prepared statement........................................... 14
Hon. Kathy Castor, a Representative in Congress from the State of
Florida, oral statement........................................ 16
Prepared statement........................................... 18
Panel 2
Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management
Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, oral statement... 20
Prepared statement........................................... 22
SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD
Letter of November 18, 2024, to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Hon. Scott
Perry, Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public
Buildings, and Emergency Management, from Brian Trascher,
National Vice President and Public Information Officer, United
Cajun Navy, Submitted for the Record by Hon. Garret Graves..... 51
Submissions for the Record by Hon. Scott Perry:
Letter to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, from Hon. Sam Graves,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure;
Hon. Scott Perry, Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic
Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, et
al......................................................... 71
Letter of October 11, 2024, to Hon. Deanne Criswell,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, from
Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, and Hon. Scott Perry, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and
Emergency Management....................................... 73
Letter of October 25, 2024, to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, from Hon.
Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency
Management Agency.......................................... 77
APPENDIX
Questions to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, from:
Hon. Scott Perry............................................. 89
Hon. Rick Larsen............................................. 91
Hon. John Garamendi.......................................... 92
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November 15, 2024
SUMMARY OF SUBJECT MATTER
TO: LMembers, Subcommittee on Economic Development,
Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
FROM: LStaff, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public
Buildings, and Emergency Management
RE: LSubcommittee Hearing on ``In the Eye of the
Storm: Oversight of FEMA's Disaster Readiness and Response''
_______________________________________________________________________
I. PURPOSE
The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings,
and Emergency Management of the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure will meet on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at
10:00 a.m. ET in 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building to
receive testimony at a hearing entitled, ``In the Eye of the
Storm: Oversight of FEMA's Disaster Readiness and Response.''
The hearing will examine the Federal Emergency Management
Agency's (FEMA's) preparedness and response to 2024 disasters,
including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. At this hearing,
Members will receive testimony from Members of Congress and the
FEMA Administrator.
II. BACKGROUND
FEDERAL ASSISTANCE FOR DISASTERS
FEMA is the Federal Government's lead agency for preparing
for, mitigating against, responding to, and recovering from
disasters and emergencies related to all hazards--whether
natural or man-made.\1\ FEMA's primary authority in carrying
out these functions stems from the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) (P.L. 100-
707, as amended).\2\ The Stafford Act authorizes three types of
declarations: (1) major disaster declarations; (2) emergency
declarations; and (3) fire management grant (FMAG)
declarations.\3\ The Stafford Act authorizes the President to
approve states' requests for a Federal disaster declaration
when ``the situation is of such severity and magnitude that
effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and
affected local governments.'' \4\
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\1\ DHS, FEMA, (Feb. 3, 2023), available at https://www.dhs.gov/
employee-resources/federal-emergency-management-agency-fema.
\2\ Stafford Act, Pub. L. No. 100-707.
\3\ Id.
\4\ Id.
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PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED MAJOR DISASTER
When state and local resources are overwhelmed and the
``disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective
response is beyond the capabilities of the state and the
affected local governments,'' \5\ the Governor of the affected
state may request the President declare a major disaster.\6\
FEMA's primary Stafford Act programs for disaster recovery in
the aftermath of a major disaster are in the Public Assistance
Program and the Individual Assistance Program.\7\ Following a
major disaster declaration, FEMA also provides Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds.\8\
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\5\ FEMA, A Guide to the Disaster Declaration Process and Federal
Disaster Assistance 1, available at https://www.fema.gov/pdf/rebuild/
recover/dec_proc.pdf.
\6\ Id.
\7\ Id.
\8\ Id.
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The Public Assistance Program, authorized primarily by
Sections 406 and 428 of the Stafford Act, reimburses state,
tribal, and territorial governments as well as certain private
non-profits for rebuilding damaged buildings and
infrastructure.\9\ The Federal cost-share for Public Assistance
is 75 percent but may be increased by the President.\10\
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\9\ See FEMA, Assistance for Governments and Private Non-Profits
After a Disaster (Feb. 23, 2023), available at https://www.fema.gov/
assistance/public.
\10\ 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5172.
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The Individual Assistance Program is authorized primarily
by Section 408 of the Stafford Act. The Individual Assistance
program includes the Individuals and Households Program (IHP),
Mass Care and Emergency Assistance, the Crisis Counseling
Assistance and Training Program, Disaster Unemployment
Assistance, Disaster Legal Services, and Disaster Case
Management. IHP is the primary FEMA program used to assist
disaster survivors; it includes housing assistance and other
needs assistance. Housing assistance includes money for repair,
rental assistance, or ``direct assistance,'' such as the
provision of temporary housing.\11\ The current limits for IHP
assistance is $37,900 for housing assistance and $37,900 for
other needs assistance.\12\
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\11\ FEMA, Individuals and Households Program (Feb. 3, 2023),
available at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/program.
\12\ 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5174
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Section 404 of the Stafford Act authorizes HMGP, which is
based on a percentage of Public Assistance funding, to provide
grants to state, tribal, and territorial governments for
mitigation projects that: (1) are cost effective and (2) reduce
the risk of future damage, hardship, and loss from natural
hazards.\13\ The purpose of this grant program is to fund
practical mitigation measures that effectively reduce the risk
of loss of life and property from future disasters. State,
tribal, and territorial governments may use their HMGP funds to
assist families in reducing the risk to their homes from
natural disasters. The Federal cost share for HMGP is 75
percent and the remaining 25 percent can come from a variety of
sources (i.e. a cash payment from the state or local
government).\14\
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\13\ FEMA, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) (Dec. 27, 2022),
available at https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/hazard-mitigation.
\14\ Id.
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III. STATUS OF THE DISASTER RELIEF FUND
IMMEDIATE NEEDS FUNDING GUIDANCE
The Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is a no-year appropriation
against which FEMA can direct, coordinate, manage, and fund
eligible response and recovery efforts associated with domestic
major disasters and emergencies that overwhelm state resources
pursuant to the Stafford Act.\15\ Through the DRF, FEMA can
fund authorized Federal disaster support activities as well as
eligible state, territorial, tribal, and local actions such as
providing emergency protection and debris removal.\16\ The DRF
also funds the repair and restoration of qualifying disaster-
damaged public infrastructure, hazard mitigation initiatives,
financial assistance to eligible disaster survivors, and FMAGs
for qualifying large forest or grassland wildfires.\17\
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\15\ FEMA, Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Reports, (Aug. 29, 2023),
available at https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/disaster-
relief-fund-monthly-reports.
\16\ FEMA, Fact Sheet: FEMA's Public Assistance Process, (June 7,
2018), available at https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/fact-
sheet-femas-public-assistance-process.
\17\ FEMA, Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Reports, (Aug. 29, 2023),
available at https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/disaster-
relief-fund-monthly-reports.
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From January to June 2024, FEMA's monthly obligations from
the DRF averaged high levels, with significant monthly
expenditures due to both new major disaster and open disaster
declarations.\18\ Due to projected shortfalls in the DRF and
concern that the agency may be unable to meet its Stafford Act
obligations, FEMA enacted Immediate Needs Funding (INF) on
August 29, 2024. Under INF, FEMA restricts the use of funds to
prioritize life-saving operations over longer-term recovery
projects until additional funds are allocated by Congress.\19\
2024 was the tenth time FEMA has implemented INF guidance since
2001.\20\
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\18\ FEMA, Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Reports, (Oct. 9, 2024),
available at July 2024 Disaster Relief Fund Report, available at
https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/disaster-relief-fund-
monthly-reports.
\19\ FEMA, Fact Sheet: Immediate Needs Funding, (Aug. 1, 2024),
available at https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/
fema_ocfo-inf-fact-sheet.pdf.
\20\ Id.
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In September, a Continuing Resolution (CR) passed by
Congress provided an additional $20.261 billion in budget
authority to FEMA. FEMA lifted INF restrictions on October 2,
2024.\21\ That same day, Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters at a press
conference that ``FEMA does not have the funds to make it
through the [hurricane] season.'' \22\ By October 9, 2024, FEMA
had spent approximately $9 billion, or 45 percent, of its
disaster allocation on projects delayed during the INF
period.\23\ FEMA is monitoring the balance of the DRF and will
reimplement INF to preserve the availability of funds for
immediate disaster response efforts if needed.\24\
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\21\ Press Release, FEMA, Continuing Resolution Allows FEMA to Life
Restrictions in Disaster Relief Funding, available at https://
www.fema.gov/press-release/20231003/continuing-resolution-allows-fema-
lift-restrictions-disaster-relief-funding.
\22\ Kevin Freking and Colleen Long, Mayorkas Warns FEMA Doesn't
Have Enough Funding to Last Through Hurricane Season, AP News (Oct. 2,
2024), available at https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-
congress-fema-funding-5be4f18e00ce2b509d6830410cf2c1cb.
\23\ Thomas Frank and Anne C. Mulkern, FEMA Spent Nearly Half Its
Disaster Budget In Just 8 Days, Politico (Oct. 10, 2024), available at
https://politico.com/news/2024/10/10/fema-disaster-budget-hurricane-
helene-melton-00183219.
\24\ Letter from the Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, FEMA, to
the Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, H. Comm. on Transp. and Infrastructure
(Oct. 25, 2024), (on file with Comm.).
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COVID-19 REIMBURSEMENTS
During the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting Nationwide
emergency, the President authorized the provision of assistance
to states and territories through the DRF. While supplemental
appropriations were allocated to help cover the costs of the
Federal pandemic response, funding levels have not kept pace
with FEMA's actual obligations. In 2020, FEMA estimated
spending $17.6 billion for COVID-19 assistance.\25\ As of March
2024, FEMA reported expending $125.3 billion from the DRF for
COVID-19 assistance and expects to continue obligating funds
through August 2026.\26\
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\25\ GAO, Disaster Relief Fund: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Could
Improve FEMA's Estimates, available at https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-
24-106676.pdf.
\26\ Id.
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According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), outlays
for the COVID-19 response have accounted for 20 percent of all
DRF expenditures between 1992 and 2021, making it the costliest
single event in DRF history.\27\ In 2024, FEMA anticipated
spending around $19.8 billion, or 40 percent of its total
obligations for the year, on reimbursements related to pandemic
activities.\28\
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\27\ CBO, FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund: Budgetary History and
Projections, available at https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58840.
\28\ GAO, Disaster Relief Fund: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Could
Improve FEMA's Estimates, available at https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-
24-106676.pdf.
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DHS OIG REPORT
On August 14, 2024, the DHS Office of Inspector General
(OIG) released a report estimating that FEMA has more than 847
open disaster declarations, totaling $73 billion in
unliquidated obligations.\29\ Of these, $8.3 billion were
associated with 79 disasters declared in 2012 or earlier,
including 26 with expired Periods of Performance (POP).\30\
Under the statute, these expired POPs represent $9.4 million
that could be returned to the DRF and made available for other
Stafford Act activities. The OIG has recommended that FEMA
conduct a thorough review of all expired POPs across authorized
grant programs and appropriately deobligate the funds to return
them to the DRF.\31\
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\29\ DHS OIG, Final Report: FEMA's Inadequate Oversight Led to
Delays in Closing Out Declared Disasters, (Aug. 14, 2024), available at
https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2024-08/OIG-24-45-
Aug24.pdf.
\30\ Id.
\31\ Id.
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IV. FEMA'S RESPONSE TO 2024 DISASTERS
CURRENT STAFFORD ACT DECLARATIONS
In 2024, FEMA has provided assistance for 89 Presidentially
declared emergencies and major disasters including: Hurricane
Beryl, Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Francine, Hurricane Helene,
Hurricane Milton, western wildfires, and multiple unnamed
severe storms, landslides, and an active tornado seasons that
impacted many states across the country.\32\ The 2024 Atlantic
Hurricane Season has a death toll of at least 326.\33\ Although
disaster damage estimates are still being calculated, the
latest overall estimates exceed $300 billion.\34\ While 2020
holds the all-time record for Presidentially declared
emergencies and major disasters due to declarations related to
COVID-19, at 230,\35\ the size and severity of Stafford Act
declarations in 2024 have drawn congressional attention to
FEMA's resource constraints and response challenges,
particularly as it relates to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.\36\
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\32\ FEMA, Declared Disasters, available at https://www.fema.gov/
disaster/declarations.
\33\ Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Dinah Voyles Pulver, Beyond Helene:
Hurricane Death Toll Tops 300 Lives, With Month Left in Season, USA
Today (Oct. 15, 2024), available at https://www.usatoday.com/story/
news/weather/2024/10/15/hurricane-deaths-2024-helene-milton-atlantic-
season/75678995007/.
\34\ Helene, Milton Losses Could Top $50 Billion Each As Hurricanes
Are Rare, CBS News (Oct. 16, 2024), available at https://
www.cbsnews.com/news/helene-milton-losses-50-billion-each-hurricanes-
rare/.
\35\ Adam B. Smith, 2023: A Historic Year of U.S. Billion-Dollar
Weather and Climate Disasters, NOAA, (Jan. 8, 2024), available at
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/beyond-data/2023-historic-
year-us-billion-dollar-weather-and-climate-disasters.
\36\ Letter from Sam Graves, Chairman, H. Comm. on Transp. &
Infrastructure to Deanne Criswell, Administrator, FEMA (Oct. 11, 2025)
(On file with Comm.).
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Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida on
September 26, 2024, as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum
sustained winds of 140 miles per hour.\37\ As Helene traveled
across the Appalachian Region, it resulted in catastrophic
flooding, landslides, and tornadoes. Currently, six states
(Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and
South Carolina) have major declared disasters associated with
Helene, and Alabama is under an emergency declaration.\38\ Just
two weeks later, Hurricane Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico
and rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane with peak
windspeeds of 180 miles per hour.\39\ By the time Milton made
landfall near Siesta Key on October 9, 2024, the storm had
weakened to a Category 3 hurricane, but it brought a front of
deadly tornados and storm surge to Florida.\40\
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\37\ Kate Payne, Hurricane Helene Kills At Least 44 and Cuts A
Swath of Destruction Across the Southeast, AP News (Sept. 27, 2024),
available at https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-florida-
georgia-carolina-e5769b56dea81e40fae2161ad1b4e75d.
\38\ FEMA, Hurricane Helene, available at https://www.fema.gov/
disaster/current/hurricane-helene.
\39\ Brad Brooks and Leonora LaPeter Anton, Hurricane Milton Leaves
At Least 10 Dead, Millions Without Power in Florida, Reuters (Oct. 10,
2024), available at https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hurricane-milton-
weakens-it-marches-across-central-florida-homes-destroyed-2024-10-10/.
\40\ Id.
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To respond to these two catastrophic events, FEMA has
obligated $4.5 billion for Hurricane Helene and $1.6 billion
for Hurricane Milton as of late October, and deployed more than
8,300 staff, or approximately 37 percent of all FEMA
personnel.\41\ Under various Stafford Act authorities, FEMA is
supporting states, local governments, and nonprofit
organizations in the operation of 410 safe shelter facilities,
and coordinating logistics for commodities, whole-of-government
response teams, and lifesaving supplies.\42\
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\41\ Letter from Deanne Criswell, Administrator, FEMA to Sam
Graves, Chairman, H. Comm. on Transp. & Infrastructure (Oct. 25, 2025)
(On file with Comm.).
\42\ Id.
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As a result of Hurricane Helene, power outages in North
Carolina impacted more than one million people and, as of
October 30, 2024, 2,700 remain without power.\43\ As of October
30, 2024, two school systems remain closed, 600 National Guard
were stationed on the ground, and the death toll rose to
101.\44\ Portions of I-40 between Tennessee and Asheville,
North Carolina, were completely destroyed.\45\ Significant
parts of North Carolina, particularly in Yancey County, remain
inaccessible via car with roads washed away, downed trees, and
rugged terrain.\46\
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\43\ FEMA Briefing for Staff of the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, Oct. 30, 2024.
\44\ Id.
\45\ Joyce Orlando, I-40 collapse: Will it really take to 2025 for
repairs between North Carolina and Tennessee? What we know, Asheville
Citizen Times, (Oct. 2, 2024), available at https://www.citizen-
times.com/story/news/2024/10/02/i-40-collapse-updates-when-will-it-
reopen-alternate-routes-out-of-western-nc/75483578007/.
\46\ Committee Staffdel (Oct. 30, 2024).
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V. CONCLUSION
FEMA currently has active disaster declarations for recent
floods, hurricanes, and wildfires that have impacted multiple
regions across the United States, including the aftermath of
Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Given the intensity and frequency
of these 2024 disasters and the current fiscal state of the
DRF, the hearing will focus on evaluating the Nation's current
state of disaster readiness, response, and recovery efforts
under FEMA's leadership. The hearing will examine FEMA's
resource allocation strategies, coordination with state and
local partners, and response agility, with an emphasis on
identifying improvements to support communities facing repeated
and complex disasters.
VI. WITNESSES
PANEL I
LThe Honorable Chuck Edwards, Member of Congress,
United States House of Representatives
LThe Honorable Kathy Castor, Member of Congress,
United States House of Representatives
PANEL II
LThe Honorable Deanne Criswell, Administrator,
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), United States
Department of Homeland Security
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM: OVERSIGHT OF FEMA'S DISASTER READINESS AND
RESPONSE
----------
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2024
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public
Buildings, and Emergency Management,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:02 a.m. in
room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Scott Perry
(Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
Mr. Perry. The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public
Buildings, and Emergency Management will come to order.
The Chair asks unanimous consent that I be authorized to
declare a recess at any time during today's hearing.
Without objection, so ordered.
The Chair also asks unanimous consent that Members not on
the subcommittee be permitted to sit with the subcommittee at
today's hearing and ask questions.
Without objection, so ordered.
As a reminder, if Members wish to insert a document into
the record, please also email it to [email protected].
The Chair now recognizes himself for the purposes of an
opening statement for 5 minutes.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SCOTT PERRY OF PENNSYLVANIA,
CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC
BUILDINGS, AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Mr. Perry. I thank the witnesses for being here today to
discuss FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene and other 2024
disasters, as well as the broader impact of FEMA's disaster
recovery policies on the Agency's response efforts.
First and foremost, our hearts go out to everyone affected
by these disasters. Communities impacted by these storms are
clearly facing a long and difficult road to recovery. While we
might not always agree on who should be the tip of the spear
when it comes to emergency response, disaster survivors deserve
to know that help is available, and taxpayer resources intended
to provide for their recovery should be used effectively and
fairly.
Just last week, there were extremely concerning press
reports from Lake Placid, Florida, that FEMA skipped over homes
impacted by Hurricane Milton that displayed signs supporting
President-elect Trump. While the FEMA Administrator quickly
responded that the employee was terminated, it is very clear
from a recent interview that the employee believes she was
carrying out direction from the Agency and suggested that this
avoidance tactic occurred not only in Florida, but also in the
Carolinas.
Last month, while FEMA was quick to issue a rumor control
page arguing that criticisms of the response would discourage
people from applying for aid, FEMA workers themselves were
apparently avoiding the very disaster victims we are talking
about.
Let me be clear. The thousands of men and women who deploy
to help communities across this Nation serve an important role
for the American people. I am not disparaging those workers. To
the contrary, it seems this particular worker believes she is
being treated like the scapegoat, and if that is the case, more
people at FEMA must be held accountable.
In response to these claims, the committee sent a letter to
the Administrator last week requesting information and
documents pertaining to the allegations of this FEMA employee.
The Chair asks unanimous consent that this letter be included
in the record.
Without objection, so ordered.
I hope we will get responses to the questions posed in that
letter and that the Administrator is prepared to discuss the
issue today.
More broadly, as we assess FEMA's response to recent
disasters, I believe there are other critical areas we also
need to address. First, aid needs to reach impacted communities
quickly without unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles. Early on,
there were reports from North Carolina, in particular,
residents concerned about FEMA's slow reaction pace to the
storm and feeling as though they were left to fend for
themselves. In fact, there are still areas FEMA has not reached
to assess the damage. I can't wrap my head around the fact that
the Federal agency charged with leading our response to
disasters cannot seem to maneuver to homes in the mountains of
western North Carolina. I mean, as an editorial, my goodness,
one of the Members of Congress was somehow able to navigate to
these areas. I was in contact with him asking for the
information because I couldn't get it anywhere else, and he was
giving me firsthand accounts at the time.
Well, then we learned how long of a process it has been for
FEMA to deliver temporary housing trailers to communities in
western North Carolina living without power and heat. Clearly,
something is wrong with FEMA's process. I hope that my
congressional colleagues on our first panel will provide us
with candid insights into FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene,
the successes you have seen, and the areas where there is cause
for concern.
In past disasters, we have seen delays in relief reaching
the ground, sometimes due to the scope of the disaster's impact
and the resulting infrastructure damage, but also because of
redtape and complex requirements. It seems at every turn, there
is some regulation, policy, or ``this is the way we have always
done it'` approach that defies common sense.
For example, as Secretary Mayorkas mentioned recently that
the Disaster Relief Fund was being depleted, right after we
appropriated $20 billion, the DHS inspector general noted
billions of unspent funds tied to delayed disaster closeouts of
up to 16 years.
Congress and this committee continue to pass bills to
streamline FEMA assistance, but it seems the more we try to cut
redtape, FEMA adds more or just simply doesn't change course. I
am eager to hear from FEMA today on how they have worked with
the Federal, State, and local partners to speed up this
process.
In response to concerns about FEMA's response to the recent
disasters, on October 11, Chairman Sam Graves and I sent a
letter to FEMA raising critical questions about the response to
Hurricane Helene, reports of the slow pace of FEMA aid, and the
state of the DRF.
The Chair now asks unanimous consent that this letter be
included in the record.
Without objection, so ordered.
The response from the FEMA Administrator described how the
continuing resolution passed by Congress brought the balance of
the DRF to $21.9 billion, and FEMA immediately obligated $8.8
billion in previously delayed projects. This reduced available
funds for future disasters to $13.1 billion.
The Chair asks unanimous consent that FEMA's response
letter also be included in the record.
And, without objection, so ordered.
[The three letters referenced by Mr. Perry are on pages 71-
88.]
Mr. Perry. I am deeply troubled by how fast the DRF was
depleted. Equally troubling are FEMA's forays into providing
sheltering assistance to illegal aliens at the southern border,
which has cost taxpayers more than $1 billion since 2019.
Although these funds have not come from the DRF, they are
certainly taking dollars and staffing resources away from
helping American citizens in need.
FEMA's focus should be--correction--FEMA's focus should
remain on helping communities respond to and recover from
natural disasters, rather than on diverting taxpayer resources
towards political initiatives like exacerbating the crisis at
the southern border, climate change, or picking and choosing
which homes to canvas based on political signs.
With that, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on
these topics.
[Mr. Perry's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Scott Perry, a Representative in Congress
from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Chairman, Subcommittee on
Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
I want to thank our witnesses for being here today to discuss
FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene and other 2024 disasters, as well
as the broader impact of FEMA's disaster recovery policies on the
agency's response efforts.
First and foremost, our hearts go out to everyone affected by these
disasters. Communities impacted by these storms are clearly facing a
long and difficult road to recovery.
While we might not always agree on who should be the tip of the
spear when it comes to emergency response, disaster survivors deserve
to know what help is available, and taxpayer resources intended to
provide for their recovery should be used effectively and fairly. Just
last week, there were extremely concerning press reports from Lake
Placid, Florida, that FEMA skipped over homes impacted by Hurricane
Milton that displayed signs supporting President-elect Trump.
While the FEMA Administrator quickly responded that the employee
was terminated, it is very clear from a recent interview that the
employee believes she was carrying out direction from the agency and
suggested that this ``avoidance'' tactic occurred not only in Florida
but also in the Carolinas.
Last month, while FEMA was quick to issue a rumor control page
arguing that criticisms of the response would discourage people from
applying for aid, FEMA workers themselves were apparently avoiding
disaster victims. Let me be clear--the thousands of men and women who
deploy to help communities across this nation serve an important role
for the American people. I am not disparaging those workers.
To the contrary--it seems this particular worker believes she is
being treated like the scapegoat and, if that is the case, more people
at FEMA must be held accountable. In response to these claims, the
Committee sent a letter to the Administrator last week requesting
information and documents pertaining to the allegations of this FEMA
employee. I ask unanimous consent that this letter be included in the
record. I hope we will get responses to the questions posed in that
letter and that the Administrator is prepared to discuss the issue
today.
More broadly, as we assess FEMA's response to recent disasters, I
believe there are other critical areas we also need to address. First,
aid needs to reach impacted communities quickly, without unnecessary
bureaucratic obstacles. Early on, there were reports from North
Carolina residents concerned about FEMA's slow reaction pace to the
storm and feeling as though they were left to fend for themselves. In
fact, there are still areas FEMA has not reached to assess damage. I
cannot wrap my head around the fact that the federal agency charged
with leading our responses to disasters cannot seem to maneuver to
homes in the mountains of western North Carolina.
Then we learned how long of a process it's been for FEMA to deliver
temporary housing trailers to communities in western North Carolina
living without power and heat. Clearly something is wrong with FEMA's
process.
I hope that my Congressional colleagues on our first panel will
provide us with candid insights into FEMA's response to Hurricane
Helene, the successes you've seen, and the areas where there is cause
for concern.
In past disasters, we've seen delays in relief reaching the
ground--sometimes due to the scope of the disaster's impacts and the
resulting infrastructure damage, but also because of red tape and
complex requirements. It seems at every turn, there's some regulation,
policy, or ``this-is-the-way-we've-always-done-it'' approach that
defies common sense.
For example, as Secretary Mayorkas mentioned recently that the
Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) was being depleted--right after we
appropriated $20 billion--the DHS Inspector General noted billions of
unspent funds tied to delayed disaster closeouts of up to 16 years.
Congress and this committee continue to pass bills to streamline
FEMA assistance, but it seems the more we try to cut red tape, FEMA
adds more or just simply doesn't change course. I'm eager to hear from
FEMA today on how they have worked with federal, state, and local
partners to speed up this process.
In response to concerns about FEMA's response to the recent
disasters, on October 11th, Chairman Sam Graves and I sent a letter to
FEMA raising critical questions about the response to Hurricane Helene,
reports of the slow pace of FEMA aid, and the state of the DRF. I ask
unanimous consent that this letter be included in the record.
The response from the FEMA Administrator described how the
continuing resolution passed by Congress brought the balance of the DRF
to $21.9 billion, and FEMA immediately obligated $8.8 billion in
previously delayed projects. This reduced available funds for future
disasters to $13.1 billion. I ask unanimous consent that FEMA's
response letter also be included in the record.
I am deeply troubled by how fast the DRF was depleted. Equally
troubling are FEMA's forays into providing sheltering assistance to
illegal aliens at the Southern Border, which has cost taxpayers more
than $1 billion since 2019. Although these funds have not come from the
DRF, they are certainly taking dollars and staffing resources away from
helping American citizens in need.
FEMA's focus should remain on helping communities respond to and
recover from natural disasters, rather than on diverting taxpayer
resources toward political initiatives, like exacerbating the crisis at
the Southern Border, climate change, or picking and choosing which
homes to canvas based on political signs.
With that, I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on these
topics.
Mr. Perry. The Chair now recognizes the Ranking Member
Titus for 5 minutes for an opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DINA TITUS OF NEVADA, RANKING MEMBER,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Ms. Titus. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank our
witnesses for joining us, the Administrator, and our
colleagues, Representatives Edwards and Castor, whose districts
and communities have been greatly impacted by this year's
deadly and devastating hurricane season.
As I have said many times before, in this committee and
beyond, climate change and its related severe weather events
have changed the disaster landscape, and they have strained
capacity for all levels of Government to respond. What's more,
the data shows that these disasters are becoming more
expensive, they are lasting longer, and they are having a
greater impact on our communities than ever before. While we
still await exact figures, preliminary estimates show that the
combined pricetag for just Hurricanes Milton and Helene will
eclipse $170 billion.
So far this year, FEMA has provided assistance for 89--89--
Presidentially declared emergencies and major disasters,
including those covering hurricanes, wildfires, landslides, and
tornadoes.
One of the main sources for providing support to disaster-
stricken communities, as you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, is FEMA's
Disaster Relief Fund, the DRF, which funds repair and
restoration of public infrastructure. It supports hazard
mitigation initiatives, and it provides financial assistance to
disaster survivors. When the program is nearing depletion,
however, it enters Immediate Needs Funding, INF, which pauses
all DRF-funded projects that are not lifesaving operations.
Since 2001, INF has been implemented 10 times, the most recent
being just August of this year.
The current continuing resolution provides $20 billion in
budget authority for the DRF, so, FEMA is no longer operating
under INF. We know, however, these funding challenges will
continue as fewer than $5 billion currently remains in that
budget. That is why President Biden submitted a $100 billion
supplementary request to Congress yesterday, and that includes
$40 billion for FEMA. Congress must pass the supplemental to
sufficiently fund the DRF so FEMA can continue to support
ongoing recovery efforts, as well as address those that will
undoubtedly emerge in the future. This funding is not for FEMA.
It is for FEMA to provide to communities and individuals
impacted.
We also need to provide solutions for survivors and
communities so they can recover more quickly and to ensure that
resources are deployed fairly. One of those solutions is my
Disaster Survivors Fairness Act, which I introduced with my
colleagues Congressmen Garret Graves and Troy Carter, and
Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon. It also has the support
of Congressman Chuck Edwards, who you will hear from later
today.
One of the most important aspects of the bill, which has
already passed this committee unanimously at the beginning of
the Congress, is to simplify the process for seeking assistance
following a major disaster. It does this by creating a
universal relief application across Federal agencies so that we
can ease the burden on families and small businesses, get rid
of some of the redtape, speed up the process, because these are
the worst days of their lives, and they need to have at least
some assistance in the application process.
In this committee, we have held numerous hearings on the
challenges faced by FEMA's workforce, and I look forward to
discussing those today. As we move forward, however, we must
also acknowledge the impact misinformation has on the ability
to respond to these events. I was disgusted with the ridiculous
rumors that were floating around, cautioning people that
Government was going to bulldoze over their communities, seize
their homes, and divert disaster aid to other programs. And
those who perpetuated these claims, spread the claims, claimed
that they were legitimate, well, shame on you. That just makes
the process even worse.
I was also very upset to learn that a FEMA employee
directed her Disaster Survivor Assistance Team to skip homes
that had Trump signs. I condemn the employee's decision about
discriminating with aid, that should never be the case, and
Administrator Criswell immediately did the right thing when she
learned about this incident by firing the employee and
referring the case to the Office of Special Counsel.
To my colleagues testifying today and to Administrator
Criswell, we recognize the challenges you are facing, and this
committee wants to do what it can to help aid your help to
those in the recovery process. So, I look forward to your
testimony and hope that we can stick to the issues at hand and
not use this as a springboard to get into politics.
And I yield back.
[Ms. Titus' prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Dina Titus, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Nevada, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Economic
Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank our witnesses for joining
us today, including my colleagues Reps. Edwards and Castor, whose
communities are among the many that have been impacted by this year's
deadly and devastating hurricane season.
As I have said time and time again, climate change and its related
severe weather events have changed the disaster landscape and strained
capacity for all levels of government to respond. What's more is that
data shows these disasters are becoming more expensive and have a
greater impact on our communities than ever before. While we still
await exact figures, preliminary estimates show that the combined price
tag for just Hurricanes Milton and Helene will eclipse $90 billion.
So far this year, FEMA has provided assistance for 89
Presidentially declared emergencies and major disasters including those
covering hurricanes, wildfires, landslides, and tornadoes.
One of the main sources for providing support to disaster-stricken
communities is FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) which funds repair and
restoration of public infrastructure, supports hazard mitigation
initiatives, and provides financial assistance to disaster survivors.
When the program is nearing depletion, however, it enters Immediate
Needs Funding (INF) which pauses all DRF-funded projects which are not
life-saving operations. Since 2001, INF has been implemented ten times,
the most recent being August of this year.
The current Continuing Resolution provides $20 billion in budget
authority for the DRF, so FEMA is no longer operating under INF. We
know, however, these funding challenges will continue as fewer than $5
billion currently remains in the DRF. That is why President Biden
submitted a $100 billion supplemental request to Congress yesterday,
which includes $40 billion for FEMA. Congress must pass a supplemental
to sufficiently fund the DRF so FEMA can continue to support ongoing
recovery efforts, as well as address those that will undoubtedly emerge
in the future.
We also need to provide solutions for survivors and communities to
recover more quickly and to ensure resources are being deployed fairly.
One of those solutions is my Disaster Survivors Fairness Act, which I
introduced with my colleagues Congressman, Garret Graves, Congressman
Troy Carter, and Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, and has the
support of my colleague Congressman Chuck Edwards who is testifying
today. One of the most important aspects of this bill, which already
passed this Committee unanimously at the beginning of the Congress, is
simplifying the process for seeking assistance following a major
disaster by creating a universal relief application across federal
agencies so that we can ease the burden on families and small
businesses after what might have been the worst days of their lives.
In this Committee, we have held numerous hearings on the challenges
faced by FEMA's workforce, and I look forward to discussing those
today. As we move forward, however, we must also acknowledge the impact
misinformation has on the ability to respond to these events. I was
disgusted with the ridiculous rumors that were floating around
cautioning people that the government was going to bulldoze over
stricken communities, seize homes, and that FEMA was diverting disaster
aid to other programs. To those who permeated these claims, shame on
you!
I was also outraged to learn that a FEMA employee directed her
disaster survivor assistance team to skip helping homes with Trump
signs. I firmly condemn that employee's decision; FEMA should never
discriminate when providing disaster aid. Administrator Criswell
immediately did the right thing when she learned of this incident--the
employee was fired and the case referred to the Office of Special
Counsel.
To my colleagues testifying today, and to Administrator Criswell,
we recognize the challenges you are facing, and this committee wants to
do everything it can to aid with your recovery efforts. I look forward
to your testimony and I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentlewoman. The Chair now
recognizes the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Graves, for
5 minutes for his opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. SAM GRAVES OF MISSOURI, CHAIRMAN,
COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Mr. Graves of Missouri. Thank you, Chairman Perry, and I do
want to thank our witnesses for testifying today.
This hearing comes at a crucial time. We are being told
that a supplemental appropriations bill is needed after
Congress recently appropriated $20 billion to the Disaster
Relief Fund. There have been ongoing concerns about how long
FEMA takes to provide aid and rebuild after a disaster.
Further, this committee has highlighted concerns that the
Biden administration has prioritized equity, climate change,
and assistance to migrants over disaster victims and readiness
and response efforts. And then we add, on top of all of this,
the recent shocking reports that FEMA workers purposely avoided
hurricane-impacted homes that displayed signs in support of
President Trump. Each of these reports alone are unacceptable,
but combined, they show a pattern of incompetence within the
Agency.
For more than a decade, I have sponsored and supported
numerous pieces of legislation aimed at speeding up FEMA aid,
cutting the bureaucracy and the redtape, and creating more
transparency. But it seems that, despite these efforts, FEMA
somehow finds new ways to make the recovery process more
difficult for impacted communities.
The Agency is accountable directly to the President, and
so, the buck stops with the President regarding the constant
mismanagement and lack of focus on its core mission.
I trust that under new leadership, we will finally be able
to reform FEMA in a way that works to support all Americans and
refocus the Agency on what it is supposed to do, and that is:
help people prepare for and recover from disasters without
regard to an individual's political views.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, I would yield back.
[Mr. Graves of Missouri's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Sam Graves, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Missouri, and Chairman, Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
This hearing comes at a critical time. We are being told a
supplemental appropriations bill is needed after Congress recently
appropriated $20 billion to the Disaster Relief Fund. There have been
ongoing concerns about how long FEMA takes to provide aid and rebuild
after a disaster.
Further, this committee has highlighted concerns that the Biden
Administration has prioritized equity, climate change, and assistance
to migrants over disaster victims and readiness and response efforts.
And then we add on top of all of this the recent shocking reports that
FEMA workers purposefully avoided hurricane impacted homes that
displayed signs in support of President Trump. Each of these reports
alone is unacceptable--but combined they show a pattern of incompetence
from the agency.
For more than a decade, I have sponsored and supported numerous
pieces of legislation aimed at speeding up FEMA aid, cutting
bureaucracy and red tape, and creating more transparency. But it seems
like despite these efforts, FEMA somehow finds new ways to make the
recovery process more difficult for impacted communities.
The agency is accountable directly to the President, and so the
buck stops with the President regarding the constant mismanagement and
lack of focus on its core mission.
I trust that under new leadership, we will finally be able to
reform FEMA in a way that works to support all Americans and refocus
the agency on what it is supposed to do--help people prepare for and
recover from disasters without regard for an individual's political
views.
Mr. Perry. The chairman thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes the ranking member of the full committee, Mr.
Larsen, for 5 minutes for his opening statement.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RICK LARSEN OF WASHINGTON, RANKING
MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank
the subcommittee Ranking Member Dina Titus. Just one more
speech, and then we will get to the Members of Congress panel,
but thanks for calling this hearing today.
The devastation that Hurricanes Helene and Milton created
in the Southeast and Appalachia is gut-wrenching. Over 200
individuals lost their lives to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The storms have left over $170 billion of damage in their
wakes. So, that is the dollar amount we know of. Damage to
water infrastructure in western North Carolina was so severe
that much of the region still does not have drinkable tap
water.
To aid affected communities, the administration approved
major disaster declarations for Florida, Georgia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. So, the
recovery will take a lot of work, and we are ready to provide
the resources needed, and I am grateful that Representatives
Edwards and Castor are here today to share what they have seen
on the ground in their districts as a result. And I think they,
along with the rest of Congress, would agree that we have to
focus on passing a disaster supplemental immediately.
Without funding, Federal agencies, including FEMA and the
Small Business Administration, cannot fulfill their missions
and help disaster survivors. For over a month now, the Small
Business Administration disaster fund has been empty. In that
time, the applications of over 11,000 survivors have been
approved for disaster loan assistance, but they will not
receive any money until Congress makes more funding available.
It is not a new problem. Congress has failed to approve
critical, long-term recovery funds for disasters in 2023 and
2024 that occurred in 21 States, ranging from Alabama and
Arkansas to Texas, Vermont, and Washington State.
FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund is once again approaching
concerningly low levels, with less than $5 billion remaining.
That sounds like a lot of money, but it is not a lot of money
when you consider the cost of these disasters. Disaster
survivors should not be left wondering if promised disaster aid
is coming. After losing everything, families should be focused
on rebuilding their lives, not worrying about congressional
dysfunction.
Again, this is not isolated to the challenges that the
people in North Carolina and Florida are facing; they are
challenges that even my constituents are facing from previous
disasters. So, I would just call on the Speaker to schedule a
vote for Congress to consider President Biden's $100 billion
disaster supplemental request as soon as possible.
Now, in the wake of catastrophic disasters, it is important
for Congress and FEMA to take stock of lessons learned. The
misinformation that has circulated after recent disasters is
creating barriers to recovery and putting disaster relief
workers at risk. The presence of misinformation after disasters
is not new. After Hurricane Katrina, false reports of
widespread looting bred chaos and led to the tragic shooting of
civilians, as an example. After the Maui wildfires, bogus
claims that the Federal Government would steal survivors' land
were widely circulated, harming those in need of assistance.
False rumors following Hurricane Helene, especially in
North Carolina, were described by Administrator Criswell as the
worst misinformation she has ever heard. These rumors increased
distrust in the Federal Government, resulting in armed threats
against FEMA workers in the field and caused some survivors to
refuse Federal assistance. The spread of misinformation on
social media after disasters is increasing, and this committee
needs to work with FEMA to find solutions that can contain this
phenomenon in the future.
I am disappointed that the President-elect himself
amplified the misinformation by falsely claiming FEMA spent all
of their funding on housing undocumented migrants. We can have
a difference of opinion on whether that funding should occur,
but that information was false. He also said FEMA would provide
only $750 to disaster survivors who lost everything, which,
again, is false.
To set the record straight, disaster survivors may be
eligible for up to $42,500 of home repair assistance and
$42,500 of other needs assistance from FEMA. And perhaps the
debate we should have is whether that should be increased or
not.
And it is the responsibility of all Members of Congress to
correct that record, regardless of who is providing the
misinformation, and lead rather than amplify, lead in providing
good information, like Representative Edwards did
unapologetically and consistently in western North Carolina.
Now, reports following Helene and Milton also indicate it
is still too difficult for survivors to access FEMA assistance.
Again, not isolated to Helene and Milton. Same problem in my
district and many other districts around the country in
previous disasters.
First, the lack of a universal application for Federal
assistance means survivors may have to complete separate
applications for several Federal agencies to receive the
assistance they are entitled to. That is why this committee
supports Ranking Member Titus' and Representative Garret
Graves' bipartisan bill to create a universal application for
Federal disaster assistance.
Second, I am troubled by reports that 47 percent of calls
made to FEMA during the week of October 14 through 20 were not
answered, and that of the more than 260,000 survivors that
registered for FEMA assistance, nearly 50 percent have been
denied. Difficulty accessing this assistance is not unique to
this disaster. The Government Accountability Office conducted
nationwide interviews about disaster responses occurring
between 2016 and 2020 and found that FEMA regularly faces
challenges managing its call center and field staff.
FEMA often responds to high denial rates by saying
survivors can appeal their award decision. That is not an
adequate response, nor is that an adequate solution. Eligible
survivors should have to fill out one application for FEMA
assistance, and it should be this committee's intent to make
accessing FEMA aid simple and easy.
Finally, when Administrator Criswell gets here, we will
have questions for her, but I do want to thank her for her
service to this country as the first female FEMA Administrator
and for all the positive policies she has implemented during
her tenure.
I want to thank you all for being here, and I look forward
to our Members' views on Helene and Milton.
With that, I yield back.
[Mr. Larsen of Washington's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Rick Larsen, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Washington, and Ranking Member, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
Thank you, Subcommittee Chairman Perry and Subcommittee Ranking
Member Titus, for calling today's hearing on FEMA's readiness and
response to recent disasters.
The devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the
Southeast and Appalachia is gut wrenching.
Over 200 individuals lost their lives to Hurricanes Helene and
Milton, and these storms have left over $170 billion of damage in their
wakes.
Damage to water infrastructure in western North Carolina was so
severe that much of the region still does not have drinkable tap water.
To aid affected communities, the Administration approved major
disaster declarations for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The recovery will take a lot of work and we are ready to provide
the resources needed.
I am grateful Representatives Edwards and Castor are here to share
what they have seen on the ground in their districts following
Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
I think they, along with the rest of Congress, agree that we must
focus on passing a disaster supplemental immediately. Without funding,
federal agencies including FEMA and the Small Business Administration
cannot fulfill their missions and help disaster survivors.
For over a month, the Small Business Administration disaster fund
has been empty. In that time, the applications of over 11,000 survivors
have been approved for disaster loan assistance, but they won't receive
any money until Congress makes more funding available.
This isn't a new problem. Congress has failed to approve critical
long-term recovery funds for disasters in 2023 and 2024 that occurred
in 21 states ranging from Alabama and Arkansas to Texas, Vermont, and
Washington State.
FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund is once again approaching concerningly
low levels, with less than $5 billion remaining.
Disaster survivors shouldn't be left wondering if promised disaster
aid is coming. After losing everything, families should be focused on
rebuilding their lives, not worrying about congressional dysfunction.
I call on the Speaker to schedule a vote for Congress to consider
President Biden's $100 billion disaster supplemental request as soon as
possible.
In the wake of such catastrophic disasters, it is important for
Congress and FEMA to take stock of the lessons learned.
The misinformation that has circulated after recent disasters is
creating barriers to recovery and putting disaster relief workers at
risk.
The presence of misinformation after disasters is not new. After
Hurricane Katrina, false reports of widespread looting bred chaos and
led to the tragic shooting of civilians.
After the Maui wildfires, bogus claims that the federal government
would steal survivors' land were widely circulated, harming those in
need of assistance.
However, false rumors following Hurricane Helene, especially in
North Carolina, were described by Administrator Criswell as the worst
misinformation she has ever heard.
These rumors created distrust in the federal government, resulted
in armed threats against FEMA workers in the field and has caused some
survivors to refuse federal assistance.
The spread of misinformation on social media after disasters is
increasing.
And this Committee needs to work with FEMA to find solutions that
can contain this phenomenon in the future.
I am disappointed that the President-elect amplified misinformation
by falsely claiming FEMA spent all of their funding on housing
undocumented migrants.
He also said FEMA would only provide $750 to disaster survivors who
lost everything, which, again, is false.
To set the record straight, disaster survivors may be eligible for
up to $42,500 of home repair assistance and $42,500 of other needs
assistance from FEMA.
Reports following Helene and Milton indicate that it is still too
difficult for survivors to access FEMA assistance.
First, the lack of a universal application for federal disaster
assistance means survivors may have to complete separate applications
for several federal agencies to receive the assistance they are
entitled to.
That is why this Committee supports Ranking Member Titus and Rep.
Garret Graves' bipartisan bill to create a universal application for
federal disaster assistance.
Second, I am troubled by reports that 47 percent of calls made to
FEMA during the week of October 14-20 were not answered and that, of
the more than 260,000 survivors that registered for FEMA assistance in
North Carolina, nearly 50 percent have been denied.
Difficulty accessing FEMA assistance is not unique to this
disaster. The Government Accountability Office conducted nationwide
interviews about disaster responses occurring between 2016 and 2020.
They found that FEMA regularly faces challenges managing its call
center and field staff.
FEMA often responds to high denial rates by saying survivors can
appeal their award decision. That is not an adequate response nor is it
an adequate solution. Eligible survivors should only have to fill out
one application for FEMA assistance.
It is this Committee's intent to make accessing FEMA aid simple and
easy.
Finally, I want to thank Administrator Criswell for her service to
this country as the first female FEMA Administrator and for all of the
positive policies she has implemented during her tenure.
Thank you all for being here. I look forward to your testimony.
Mr. Perry. Mr. Larsen yields. I would like to now welcome
our witnesses, and thank you both for being here.
Briefly, I would like to take a moment to explain our
lighting system to you in case you are unaware. There are three
lights in front of you. Green means go, yellow means you are
running out of time, and red means to conclude your remarks.
The Chair asks unanimous consent that the witnesses' full
statement be included in the record.
Without objection, so ordered.
The Chair also asks ask unanimous consent that the record
of today's hearing remain open until such time as our witnesses
have provided answers to any questions that may be submitted to
them in writing.
Without objection, so ordered.
The Chair also asks unanimous consent that the record
remain open for 15 days for additional comments and information
submitted by Members or witnesses to be included in the record
of today's hearing.
Without objection, so ordered.
As your written testimony has been made part of the record,
the subcommittee asks that you limit your oral remarks to 5
minutes.
We will now turn to our first panel. With that, Congressman
Edwards, you are recognized for 5 minutes for your testimony.
TESTIMONY OF HON. CHUCK EDWARDS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
Mr. Edwards. Thank you, Chairman Perry, Ranking Member
Titus, and the members of the subcommittee. I appreciate this
opportunity to speak to you today about FEMA's response to
Hurricane Helene in North Carolina's 11th Congressional
District. As a former member of this subcommittee, it is a
privilege to offer a unique perspective, especially after being
on the ground for 7 weeks during one of the deadliest storms to
hit the mainland United States in the last 50 years.
To put this disaster into perspective, Hurricane Helene
took 230 lives across 7 States; 102 of those lives were in
North Carolina. And tragically, 80 of those were from the
district that I represent. Eighty of those were from the
district that I represent. Only three storms since 1950 have
claimed more lives, with Hurricane Katrina being the most
notable among those.
The storm struck western North Carolina on September 27,
2024. The National Weather Service issued early and dire
warnings about the threat of catastrophic flooding, as 10 to 15
inches of rain had already swelled rivers and creeks over the
previous 3 days. And while this storm claimed 230 lives, I
think it is important for me to tell you that NOAA and the
National Weather Service worked expertly to save countless more
lives.
However, the destruction that followed was immense. In some
areas, water crested up to 40 feet above its normal levels,
destroying entire communities as it rushed through the mountain
valleys, carrying away homes, cars, and roads. And massive
landslides crushed many unsuspecting victims while they thought
they were in the safety of their homes from the raging waters.
The economic damage in North Carolina alone is estimated at
$53 billion, with only about 5 percent of this damage covered
by insurance. In the aftermath, FEMA's response was in some
ways effective, but there were significant issues that need to
be addressed. FEMA's core responsibility is to coordinate
Federal emergency management efforts and support State and
local officials with critical resources. It seemed to me and
many local officials in western North Carolina that it took up
to 3 days before there was any real visibility from FEMA, and
that is just simply not good enough.
Allow me to put this in perspective. The storm was over on
September 27, for all practical purposes, at about 10 a.m. We
had 1 million people without power. We had 25 water systems
destroyed. And for it to take 3 days for the visibility of FEMA
is just not acceptable. There were folks in their homes not
only without power, they couldn't flush toilets, they had no
drinking water. We were shut off from the rest of the world.
And I can't help but think, had this been an attack on
American soil, would it take, should it take 3 days to see any
real evidence of help from our Federal Government? I would hope
not.
The distribution of supplies in the immediate aftermath of
Helene left much to be desired. For example, on day 3 after the
storm, FEMA announced to me that it had delivered 400 pallets
of desperately needed water to western North Carolina. But when
asked where those supplies had been delivered, FEMA couldn't
provide one single location. They deferred responsibility to
the State, which left local officials in the dark about where
resources were going, and who could also not answer my simple
question.
A major concern in my district was FEMA's slow response in
getting boots on the ground in some areas. For example, in one
county, FEMA didn't arrive until over a week after the storm,
and it wasn't until 20 days later that a disaster recovery
center was opened.
In addition, FEMA's communication with local governments
and the public was inconsistent and at times confusing. On one
occasion, FEMA sent out a press release stating that a disaster
recovery center would close temporarily without informing local
officials, only to retract it hours later after confusion,
numerous inquiries, and local demands.
Other failures include FEMA personnel changes with little
or no notice to county governments, no-shows for scheduled
appointments, issuing hotel vouchers to displaced families that
could only be redeemed 2 hours from those displaced families'
work or school, an inefficient inspection process that slows
consideration of critical benefits, and the 50-percent
threshold for ``substantial improvement'` and ``substantial
damage'` definitions and their required actions are riddled
with inconsistencies and irrational thinking. I could share
with you many other breakdowns in the FEMA response, but 5
minutes is just not enough time.
My office is also seeing a significant number of casework
issues related to FEMA's Individual Assistance process.
Constituents have reported receiving confusing correspondence,
especially regarding initial denials, which only adds to the
stress and confusion for people already dealing with the
aftermath of the storm.
I don't share these issues to criticize FEMA or its
employees on the ground. Many hard-working men and women are
doing everything that they can in incredibly difficult
circumstances. However, as Congress, it is our job to conduct
rigorous oversight and ensure that FEMA is held accountable and
improves upon their processes. We must address the flaws in
FEMA's response to prevent further delays and confusion in the
recovery process.
And in conclusion, the people of western North Carolina are
tired. The grief that they are experiencing is compounded by
bureaucratic missteps, delays, and poor communication.
Thank you again for this opportunity, and I would welcome
any questions that you may have.
[Mr. Edwards' prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Chuck Edwards, a Representative in Congress
from the State of North Carolina
Chairman Perry, Ranking Member Titus, and Members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today
regarding FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina's 11th
Congressional District.
I have the unique pleasure of being a former Member of this very
subcommittee and am heartened by your willingness and interest in
having me testify ahead of FEMA's Administrator, The Honorable Deanne
Criswell, to give you an alternate perspective to FEMA disaster
response that I gained by being on the ground during one of the most
recent and deadliest storms to hit the mainland United States in the
last 50 years.
Before diving into FEMA response, I want to briefly take a moment
to put this disaster into perspective for you. Hurricane Helene took
230 lives across seven states. 102 of those lives were from my home
state of North Carolina, and 80 of those 102 were direct constituents
of the community I represent, North Carolina's 11th Congressional
district.\1\ Only three storms since 1950 have surpassed the death toll
from Hurricane Helene, and only one of those storms, Hurricane Katrina,
has taken place since 2000.\2\
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\1\ https://www.ncdhhs.gov/assistance/hurricane-helene-recovery-
resources/hurricane-helene-storm-related-fatalities
\2\ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356183/deadliest-us-
hurricanes-since-1980/
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In the days prior to the storm's arrival in Western North Carolina
on September 27, the National Weather Service's Greenville-Spartanburg
team were deeply concerned by the 10-15 inches of rain that had already
swelled rivers and creeks in the mountains to dangerous levels, and
issued numerous dire warnings for individuals to evacuate well before
conditions became catastrophic.
In my view, the men and women of the National Weather Service (NWS)
saved many thousands of lives by getting critical warnings into the
community as early as possible. In a statement posted to X on September
28, the NWS team characterized Helene as ``the worst event in our
office's history.''
Helene not only ravaged our people, but nearly 30-foot flooding
crests absolutely destroyed our communities too. It was not quick
flooding like you might expect on the coast where water comes in and
goes out in one fell swoop. Water swelled over 20-30 feet in areas,
forming rapids as the water got caught between mountains and rushed to
funnel out at singular flow points, picking up and taking homes, cars,
and entire roadways, with it.\3\
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\3\ https://climate.ncsu.edu/blog/2024/09/rapid-reaction-historic-
flooding-follows-helene-in-western-nc/
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In American history, only eight hurricanes have reached the $50
billion damage threshold across the multiple states they impacted.\4\
For Hurricane Helene, the NC Office of State Budget and Management has
calculated at least $53 billion in damage in North Carolina alone, not
including the six other states of impact. Even worse, Aon Edge
Insurance Agency, which specializes in flood coverage, estimates an
average of 44% of all hurricane damage being insured. In the case of
Helene, a generous 5% of damage has been estimated as insured, though
the company believes that estimate is high.\5\ Also, according to
Census Bureau and National Flood Insurance Program data, only 0.7% of
residences of NC-impacted counties had flood insurance.
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\4\ https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/dcmi.pdf
\5\ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/helene-milton-losses-50-billion-
each-hurricanes-rare/
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FEMA's response was bound to be a bit clunky; the mountains are not
a traditional location for flooding of this magnitude. And while I
would like to applaud FEMA for their overall response to Helene, there
are quite a few sticking points that I think, with the help of this
committee, could be improved.
First and foremost, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's core
responsibility following a hurricane is to coordinate federal emergency
management efforts and provide support, resources, and expertise to
state and local emergency managers. Within this responsibility is the
distribution of pre-staged resources like water and food to hard-hit
communities.
Hurricane Helene hit on September 27, 2024. Immediately following
the storm, local governments were focused on emergency services.
Contracted FEMA teams, called Urban Search & Rescue, were there on day
one alongside county folk, conducting search and rescue operations,
providing emergency medical services, and the like; however, by day
two, local folks started to turn their attention to the greater
community's basic needs, beginning with food and water.
During a FEMA briefing on hurricane response on September 29, 2024,
FEMA stated that they had delivered 400 pallets of water to Western
North Carolina. When pressed about where in Western North Carolina
those truckloads were delivered, Federal Emergency Management personnel
could not name one single location where one single pallet had been
delivered. Instead, FEMA kicked the bucket to the state, sharing that
they had provided the pallets to North Carolina Emergency Management
who was then responsible for distribution.
For days, seemingly nobody in Western North Carolina was receiving
supplies and nobody with the State or Federal government could share
where the resources they were promoting had been sent. NC Emergency
Management had their own hiccups in this whole process, but if the
federal government is going to use taxpayer dollars to purchase
recovery resources for impacted communities, does it not feel prudent
to follow those resources to their final location so the government can
ensure resources are making it to the people they were meant to
support?
In the past 5 years, FEMA has been activated to respond to 911
disasters and other declarations.\6\ How much fraud, waste, and abuse
and do you think has or could take place if FEMA is dishing out
resources and not following up on final delivery to the final
recipient? It is not unreasonable to think that FEMA should know where
the resources they are providing get delivered, and it's my belief that
this committee can and should address this issue for future disasters.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ https://www.fema.gov/disaster/declarations
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A major concern my staff and I have encountered through our local
government counterparts is the inconsistency of both delivery of
services and reliability of information provided by FEMA officials to
the community, especially in the early and most dire weeks following
the storm.
I'd like to use Transylvania County as an example. County
leadership, thanks in large part to the early warnings of the National
Weather Service, issued a first-ever mandatory evacuation order and
conducted over 60 swift-water rescues, underscoring the catastrophic
nature of Helene's impact on the community.
However, county officials were frustrated that it took FEMA over a
week to get boots on the ground in their area, and it took until
October 17 for a Disaster Recovery Center to be opened in the county.
This delay in direct assistance on the ground, particularly in an area
where internet capability was severely lacking, only served to slow the
delivery of much-needed benefits.
On October 16, officials in one of the counties in my district were
provided by FEMA with confirmation that a Disaster Survivor Assistance
(DSA) crew was going door-to-door in the county, but that was not the
case--FEMA representation in the area that day was at a fixed location.
Every day counts in the wake of a major disaster, and we can't afford
lapses in accurate communication like what occurred that day.
On October 21, we encountered a prime example of how FEMA
miscommunication can sow confusion in the community, both among the
public and local governments. That day, FEMA sent a media advisory that
a DRC will be temporarily closed without informing the County manager,
County liaison managing the facility or the County emergency Management
Director. After a barrage of emails and calls, including from my
office, FEMA retracted the press release and kept the facility open,
all in the span of about three hours.
This issue is compounded by the fact that FEMA, in their staff's
own words to me at a DRC visit I made on that exact same day, relied in
part on my office to spread the word about FEMA information, shifting
disaster center sites, and the like. As my staff and I work to keep
constituents informed through daily newsletters for over a month after
the storm and once a week currently, we must be able to trust the
information we receive from FEMA as factual, and instances like this
are a cause for concern in that regard.
As we moved from relief to recovery in Western North Carolina, my
office has seen see a massive influx of FEMA-related casework. I hear a
lot of the same things from my casework team and folks in the
community--the correspondence they receive after filing their
applications are not well-written and cause confusion, especially
related to initial denials.
FEMA inspections, a crucial component of the application process
for individuals, are also in need of fine-tuning. On October 18, a
constituent in Waynesville asked if the FEMA inspector that was coming
to conduct a neighbor's inspection for their Individual Assistance
application could do all of the applicants on their private road that
day, as all of their applications related to clearing their road. FEMA
told my office that the inspections are issued to the inspector's
tablets and worked accordingly in the order they are received, and they
have no control over inspection scheduling.
This issue has also been proven frustrating in congregate living
facilities, where multiple individuals are denied just because they are
applying from the same address, and there is no ability in the
application process to explain the situation, and the time-consuming
appeal process is the only path forward.
I also want to touch on a newer aspect of the FEMA assistance
regime, the $750 in Serious Needs Assistance (SNA) program has served
to help a lot of folks in my district with immediate needs, but it is
evident that FEMA can learn from this disaster for improving the
program's administration in the future.
Based on my office's experience on the casework side, some people
applied for just the SNA program and received it immediately while
others applied for it and waited weeks. Others received a denial letter
and then received the $750 afterward.
Another prominent issue with SNA is that FEMA does not notify an
individual when they deposit this into your account. One must
constantly check their bank to know if they've received it.
I share this report from the front-line not to disparage FEMA and
the tireless work that thousands of its employees have carried out in
Western North Carolina and other states. However, Congress, through
rigorous oversight responsibilities, must hold the Agency accountable.
To do so, we must delve deep into the good, the bad, and the ugly of
FEMA's responses in impacted areas.
I'll be frank--the folks back home are worn-out, and the
frustration and grief that result from the unnecessary difficulties
that FEMA's adjudication of their applications is stress that they do
not need.
I hope that in her testimony and through the question-and-answer
that Administrator Criswell will face in the next panel, she lays out a
clear and well-developed plan to remedy the shortfalls in their
response that have held back the recovery of many in Western North
Carolina.
Chairman Perry and Ranking Member Titus, I thank you again for this
opportunity and I welcome any of your questions.
Mr. Perry. We thank the gentleman from North Carolina. The
Chair now recognizes Congresswoman Castor for 5 minutes for her
testimony.
TESTIMONY OF HON. KATHY CASTOR, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA
Ms. Castor of Florida. Well, thank you, Chair Perry and
Ranking Member Titus, Chair Graves, and Ranking Member Larsen,
and the entire committee for the opportunity to testify before
the committee today. I really appreciate the opportunity to be
here with Congressman Edwards.
My heart goes out to your community, Congressman. Many
Floridians have a special relationship with western North
Carolina. We always think that this is a place that we can go
to escape many of the impacts of the extreme summer heat, so, I
don't think there is anywhere you can go right now to escape a
lot of these extreme events. So, we have got to do a better job
providing for our neighbors, strengthening our infrastructure.
But this hurricane season was particularly costly and
deadly for my community and the State of Florida. Think of the
west coast. Think of from Congresswoman Cammack's district in
the Big Bend, down through Representatives Bilirakis to Luna to
Buchanan over to probably Congressman Webster. When Milton came
over, it even spawned hurricanes over on the east coast in
Representative Mast's district.
So, this had really started in August. Hurricane Debby
dumped an extraordinary amount of rainfall, 10 to 14 inches, on
the State. But the real damage came September 26 with Hurricane
Helene. It roared up the gulf, bringing a record 7 feet 8
inches of storm surge along the coast. So, it has flooded out
thousands of homes. It swamped the Coast Guard Air Station. It
swamped MacDill Air Force Base that is the home to Special
Operations Command and Central Command. It washed away the
navigational channel markers for Port Tampa Bay so fuel could
not be delivered. Whole neighborhoods were ruined, businesses
ruined.
But then, 2 weeks after that, on October 9, with some of
our neighbors still in shelters, Hurricane Milton slammed into
the State with wind speeds up to 105 miles per hour and a new
record rainfall total of up to 18 inches in some areas that
they said was a 1-in-1,000-year flood event. So, if you
survived the storm surge of Helene, it is likely that you were
flooded out weeks later by Milton, and many of the rivers took
weeks to crest. There were widespread power outages; for some
people, well over a week. This inhibited the ability of small
businesses to bounce back. Many of these small business owners,
are just--they have a very limited range of what they can take.
So, when power was out, when fuel could not be distributed,
when we have police officers guarding gas stations, folks are
really asking--there must be a better way.
So, here are a few recommendations on the aftermath and
what I saw leading up to the catastrophes and the aftermath.
The misinformation regarding FEMA was a real distraction.
It was unnecessary. A lot of time was spent on combating that
false information, rather than encouraging people to sign up.
Communities need to understand where the damage has occurred,
and people need those emergency funds right away.
I am grateful for the Federal resources and personnel that
were surged into the region, including Administrator Criswell
being there a couple of times, pre-positioning of resources,
search and rescue, the medical assistance teams, but also the
guarantee that debris could be cleaned up. Local communities--
you would not believe the heartache and the cost of people
having their lives out on the street. We have never seen
anything like the scale of this. And to be able to say that
FEMA is going to be there, that Congress is going to be there
to help you clean up your communities is absolutely vital.
The massive damage is going to require extensive rebuilding
of homes and infrastructure across the area. And Floridians are
resilient, but the impact of these back-to-back monster storms
is straining our local resources. People are--my neighbors are
already spending more on property insurance than any other
place in the country. Electric bills are out of sight. They
need Congress now to follow through with help and helping them
rebuild their lives.
What Ranking Member Larsen highlighted as the Small
Business Administration to--there are so many homeowners and
businesses that need to tap those low-interest loans. There is
nowhere else to turn. You don't want them going on a credit
card with those high interest rates to rebuild their lives. We
have got to replenish the SBA fund right away.
President Biden's proposal of the $98 billion disaster
relief bill is good, it is robust. But the Congress now has to
take the wheel and make sure that these dollars are getting to
where they need to be.
I understand the large-scale water and wastewater
rebuilding that has to go on in North Carolina, but it is also
all across the State of Florida. They were swamped. They have
polluted bays, rivers, the Gulf of Mexico. And we are a tourism
economy. We cannot rebound with polluted waterways. We have got
to be able now to build back stronger, build back in a more
resilient way, one that protects the taxpayer dollars so we
don't go through this time and time again.
Fifth, during widespread power outages, the traditional
grid is destroyed. Like I highlighted, it took weeks in some
places to get the power turned back on. We have got to be
smarter about our electrical systems in this country and build
in a more resilient way with microgrids, solar battery systems
that can safeguard our critical infrastructure. We had
hospitals lose power with patients inside. We had community
health centers massively damaged. We had shelters where people
were trying to stay safe, and the power went out for weeks. We
have got to do a better job making sure that these places are
safe and resilient from these extreme weather events.
I will highlight a few other things in written testimony
and answers to the committee, but thank you for inviting me to
this important hearing today. The heating climate is costing us
a lot, and we need to better adapt for our pocketbooks and for
our people. Thank you very much for the chance to be here.
[Ms. Castor of Florida's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Kathy Castor, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Florida
Chair Perry, Ranking Member Titus and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Committee about
the devastating, back-to-back hurricanes, the coordinated response so
far, and next steps for FEMA and the Congress.
This was the most destructive hurricane season ever for the Tampa
Bay area on the west coast of Florida. On August 5th, Hurricane Debby
unleashed torrential rainfall across the state, where many of my
neighbor experienced 10-14 inches of rain.
The real damage came on September 26th, Hurricane Helene roared up
the Gulf, bringing with it a record of 7,8,, of storm surge in Tampa
Bay, unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes. Whole neighborhoods
were flooded out and thousands of homes and businesses were ruined.
And two weeks after that on October 9th, with some neighbors still
in shelters, Hurricane Milton slammed into the state with wind speeds
of up to 105 mph and a new record rainfall total of 12-18 inches--a 1-
in-1,000-year extreme rain event.
This year (2024) is by far the wettest year on record in the Tampa
Bay area--77.11,, of rain which is 33,, over the average yearly amount,
and we still have over a month to go!
My Tampa Bay area community was not the only community impacted by
these extreme storms, but our experience grappling with the aftermath
is instructive for how to better prepare and respond.
First, I have spent the last seven weeks assessing the damage and
speaking with my neighbors directly about the tragic losses of homes,
livelihoods and property. Most people are of the view, and I agree,
that the local, state and federal coordination in the immediate
aftermath of the disasters was very good. FEMA personnel was embedded
in county emergency operations centers and the State EOC. Emergency
shelter, food, and water were distributed across the damaged areas
right away. I also was pleased to see FEMA inspectors immediately out
in the field assessing the damage, talking with homeowners and
disbursing needed emergency funds.
I am so grateful for the federal resources and personnel that were
surged into our region, including a visit from Administrator Criswell.
FEMA's prepositioning of strike force teams on the ground helped
relieve pressure on state and local authorities and saved lives.
Yet, I can tell you that the mis- and dis-information regarding
FEMA was pervasive and harmful. We were constantly trying to beat back
rumors that FEMA was out of money. If someone is discouraged from
signing up for disaster assistance it risks a delay in resources or
worse, endangers lives and property.
FEMA has approved more than $2.1 billion in disaster assistance in
Florida so far after the 3 hurricanes. This includes $975.5 million in
awards directly to survivors, and over $1.18 billion in grants to state
and local governments.
Second, the massive damage will require extensive rebuilding of
homes and infrastructure across the area.
Floridians are resilient, but the impact of these back-to-back
monster storms is straining local resources, as well as the bank
accounts of my neighbors who are already paying more for property
insurance and electric bills than just about anywhere else.
It will require Congress to fund a comprehensive, forward-looking
disaster supplemental package that allows us to rebuild in the smartest
and most cost-effective way.
Nearly everyone I have spoken to--from families to business owners
to local officials--has said they need to use disaster assistance to
rebuild with mitigation measures that will protect property from future
damage. This is imperative in low-lying coastal areas like Tampa Bay,
where natural disasters are becoming more costly, frequent and severe.
If Congress wants to avoid costs in the future, we need to make smart
investments now.
Third, and more specifically, rebuilding homes and bringing them up
to code is cost-prohibitive for many people. So while my neighbors
appreciate the ability to secure a low-interest SBA loan for home
repairs, they are disappointed to learn that they can only use up to
20% of their loan to make upgrades.
And while FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Flood
Mitigation Assistance can be used to help homeowners rebuild in a safer
and stronger manner, these initiatives take years to arrive and are
very competitive.
We need to address this now to allow for flexible and larger loans
to homeowners and small businesses to encourage more cost-saving
mitigation and upgrades. This would go a long way towards keeping our
communities whole and resilient.
Fourth, instead of simply rebuilding water and wastewater
infrastructure as they were before, communities need to be able to
modernize now to avoid future costly disasters, such as installing
upgraded pump stations and elevated lift stations and connecting the
infrastructure to solar and resilient backup power sources. This could
help municipalities avoid the spillage of tens of millions of gallons
of sewage or communities being left without potable water for days.
Fifth, during widespread power outages when the traditional grid is
destroyed, hospitals, emergency shelters and food banks must be able to
operate autonomously. Microgrids and solar/battery systems could play a
lifesaving role by allowing critical infrastructure to continue
functioning without waiting days for gas- and diesel-powered fuel
distribution lines to restart after the next natural disaster.
The losses from the triple-whammy of Hurricanes Debby, Helene and
Milton exposed our outdated infrastructure. We can avoid future
devastating hits to our economy, environment, public health and safety,
and national security if Congress leads the way in mitigating future
flood and disaster risks.
Thank you for inviting me to this important hearing today as
Congress begins to craft a disaster supplemental package with the goal
of strengthening our communities and avoiding costs and loss in the
future. Our planet, our pocketbooks, and our people depend on it.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks our witnesses. Are there
questions?
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman?
Mr. Perry. Mr. Graves.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. I don't have any questions. I just
want to, first of all, tell you how much I appreciate your
efforts on behalf of your constituents.
I did have the opportunity to visit western North Carolina
with Congressman Chuck Edwards, and I am just so sorry for what
happened to you and your constituents. I know that you are both
working really hard to get them back on their feet. I want to
thank you for your service and, again, just know that we are
praying for you all's folks, and really sorry that you all are
having to go through this, but thank you.
Mr. Perry. Others?
All right. Seeing none, thank you for being here today, and
thank you for your testimony and your comments.
This concludes the first panel, and I will give you a
couple of minutes to go ahead and exit, and we are going to
introduce the second panel. Thank you.
[Pause.]
Mr. Perry. All right. Administrator Criswell, thanks for
your patience here, and thanks for your service. I am going to
welcome you, as the FEMA Administrator, to our second panel.
As a reminder, your written testimony has also been made
part of the record, so, the subcommittee asks that you limit
your oral remarks to 5 minutes. And with that, you are now
recognized for that 5 minutes.
TESTIMONY OF HON. DEANNE CRISWELL, ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Ms. Criswell. Thank you, Chairman Perry, Ranking Member
Titus, and members of the committee. Thank you for the
opportunity to testify regarding FEMA's efforts in response to
Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We value this committee's
legislative support and oversight of our Agency, and I really
look forward to our conversation today.
On September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida
as a powerful, fast-moving category 4 storm with hurricane-
force winds extending 40 miles and tropical storm-force winds
extending 310 miles from its center. Helene then entered
Georgia as a category 2 hurricane before becoming a powerful
tropical storm that continued to release historic rainfall over
already saturated soils as it marched through South Carolina,
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. There were also
impacts in West Virginia and Kentucky.
Helene's powerful winds and floodwaters altered landscapes
and devastated communities in many places not accustomed to
experiencing such storms. The destruction caused by Helene was
catastrophic. Less than 2 weeks later, Hurricane Milton rapidly
intensified into a category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico.
After making landfall in Florida as a category 3, it moved
across the State into the Atlantic, spurring a formation of
tornadoes and leaving an overlapping trail of destruction in
many communities still reeling from Hurricanes Helene and
Debby. Many of these same communities were still recovering
from Ian, Idalia, and Debby from previous years.
Our hearts have been heavy with the stories of survivors we
have encountered, people who lost their loved ones, their
homes, and their businesses. These two catastrophic storms led
to the loss of over 200 lives and caused extensive damages to
homes and neighborhoods across the impacted States.
There was also widespread disruption of critical services
across the Southeastern United States, including the
obstruction of transportation routes which isolated some homes
and communities.
FEMA's mission statement is a simple one, spelled out in
seven powerful words: helping people before, during, and after
disasters. And in my written testimony, I have provided a
detailed account of FEMA's preparation, pre-positioning of
assets and personnel, and coordination with other Federal
agencies in support of our State, local, and Tribal partners. I
have described in detail how FEMA responded to these two storms
across eight States, mobilizing the full weight of the Federal
Government to help impacted areas that were not accustomed to
this kind of disaster, prioritizing search and rescue efforts;
reopening roads to reconnect hard-to-reach areas; delivering
essential food, water, and other supplies to residents; and
restoring critical infrastructure.
And I have described how FEMA is leading recovery efforts
in the impacted States, doing everything we can to cut through
redtape and expedite assistance to survivors. This has been a
challenging time for our workforce of over 22,000 dedicated,
hard-working people, many of whom were also impacted by one of
these storms themselves and delayed their personal and family
recovery to meet our mission and respond to the disaster.
Our workforce persevered through all of the challenges I
have just described, and they also persevered through a
difficult security environment generated by misinformation
about FEMA's work spread through social media. We help all
survivors, all people obtain all of the assistance that they
are qualified for under the law, and misinformation was making
that work much more difficult.
I greatly appreciate the voices from Members of Congress
from across both sides of the aisle who attested to the work
that FEMA was doing on the ground. So, I was very concerned
when I learned that a FEMA employee had given directions to her
Disaster Survivor Assistance Team that were completely at odds
with FEMA's mission. A critical function of these teams is to
go door to door, meet with survivors, meet them where they are,
make them aware of available FEMA resources, and help them
register for assistance. This employee wrote to about 11
staffers under her supervision that they should, ``avoid homes
advertising Trump.'`
My senior leadership team provided me with this visual
evidence that the employee had, in fact, issued this statement,
these instructions, and they recommended that this employee be
terminated. I concurred and directed the termination, and the
employee was fired. I released a statement that day, and I will
repeat what I said to all of my employees and the American
people: This type of behavior and action will not be tolerated
at FEMA, and we will hold people accountable if they violate
our standards of conduct.
I do not believe that this employee's actions are
indicative of any widespread cultural problems at FEMA. FEMA,
however, has taken appropriate action to ensure that this
matter is fully investigated, and I am committed to ensuring
that nothing like this ever happens again. In the meantime, we
have sent a different team to the field to contact all of the
homes that had been skipped over at this one employee's
direction, and that work has been completed.
Now, I know that this incident is on the minds of many
members of this committee, and I will be happy to answer all of
your questions about it. However, I hope that we will also have
a chance to discuss the great work of our workforce and
responses to both Hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as the
important challenges that lie ahead in the recovery effort
across these States.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today, and I
look forward to your questions.
[Ms. Criswell's prepared statement follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal
Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Chairman Perry, Ranking Member Titus, and Members of the
Subcommittee: thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding the
Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) efforts in response to
Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We value this committee's legislative
support and oversight of our agency, and I look forward to our
conversation today.
On September 26, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a
powerful and fast-moving Category 4 storm, with hurricane-force winds
extending 40 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extending 310 miles
from its center. Helene then entered Georgia as a Category 2 hurricane,
before becoming a powerful tropical storm that continued to release
historic rainfall over already saturated soils as it marched through
South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. And while not
as widespread or catastrophic, there were also significant impacts in
West Virginia and Kentucky. Helene's powerful winds, floodwaters, and
landslides altered landscapes and devastated communities in many places
not accustomed to experiencing such storms, including the areas around
Asheville, forcing residents to seek higher ground from rapidly rising
waters. The destruction caused by Helene was catastrophic.
Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified
into a Category 5 storm in the Gulf of Mexico. After making landfall in
Florida as a Category 3, it moved across the state into the Atlantic,
spurring the formation of tornados, and leaving an overlapping trail of
destruction in many communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene.
Sadly, many of these same communities are still recovering from
Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, and Debby.
Our hearts have been heavy with the stories of survivors we have
encountered--people who lost their loved ones, their homes, and their
businesses. These two catastrophic storms led to the tragic loss of
over 200 lives, and in their wake, caused extensive damages to homes
and neighborhoods across impacted states. There was also widespread
disruption of critical services across the southeastern United States.
This included losses of power, water, and cellular services, as well as
the obstruction of transportation routes which isolated some homes and
communities.
The magnitude of damages across an expansive, geographically
diverse, and topographically challenging range of impacted areas has
required a whole-of-government response and recovery effort. FEMA has
led the coordination of our federal colleagues in support of our state,
local, and tribal partners to provide lifesaving assistance and help
communities begin to rebuild.
FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after
disasters. In today's testimony, I will describe FEMA's response to
Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the order of this powerful mission
statement.
Before
Before the storms hit, FEMA drew upon lessons learned from major
hurricanes of the past to preposition personnel and supplies, ensure
constant communication with impacted states and tribes, and quickly
process requests for pre-landfall Emergency Declarations from impacted
states for the President's review.
Coordination with NOAA
In partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), FEMA began tracking Helene as soon as it became
a tropical disturbance on September 18--eight days before the storm's
eventual landfall. NOAA has meteorologists embedded across FEMA
providing regular weather updates and forecasts to support disaster
operations. Additionally, FEMA has personnel embedded across various
NOAA offices, including the National Hurricane Center, to support
analysis of any impacts to FEMA operations and enable FEMA decision
making on preparatory actions, such as prepositioning supplies and
personnel, and ensuring our state and local partners have access to the
latest information to support their decision making. On September 23,
NOAA advised a Tropical Depression or Tropical Storm was likely to form
within a day or two as the system moved northward, and the potential
for impacts to the Florida Panhandle and portions of the Florida west
coast were highlighted for later in the week.
NRCC and RRCC Activations
FEMA activated its National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) on
September 23, three days before Helene's landfall, enabling increased
federal coordination for the approaching storm. As part of this, FEMA
leveraged its Stafford Act authorities to task other federal agencies
to provide disaster assistance in support of FEMA response operations.
The NRCC also partnered with FEMA's Regional Response Coordination
Centers (RRCC) in the affected FEMA Regions, which were Regions 3 and 4
in the case of Helene. FEMA's Regional Offices generally serve as the
first point of communication with our state and tribal partners and are
often the first to receive a state's Emergency Declaration request.
Emergency Declarations enable FEMA to provide federal resources to the
potentially impacted states and aid critical, initial upfront response
and stabilization efforts.
Pre-Landfall Declarations and Prepositioning
On September 23, Florida was the first state to request an
Emergency Declaration, and the President swiftly approved the request
on September 24. FEMA deployed Incident Management Assistance Teams
(IMATs) and Federal Coordinating Officers (FCOs) to Florida to
integrate with state emergency management operations. At the same time,
FEMA deployed an Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Incident Support Team
to Florida to initiate coordination and integration of federal search
and rescue resources, as well as emergency communications capabilities
across the state.
On September 24, NOAA advised that the now Potential Tropical
Cyclone Nine was forecast to become a hurricane the following day and a
major hurricane as it approached the northeastern Gulf Coast later in
the week. At this time, NOAA issued the first storm surge, hurricane,
and tropical storm watches for Florida and advised of a moderate risk
of flash flooding across portions of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina,
and North Carolina. On this day, FEMA's Region 4 RRCC activated to
initiate and coordinate response activities across the impacted states.
Later this day, NOAA advised that the storm had officially become
Tropical Storm Helene, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
Continuing on September 24, FEMA deployed emergency communications
capabilities with federal response teams to Georgia, as well as an FCO
to Alabama, and began staging Disaster Survivor Assistance personnel in
Atlanta, Georgia for immediate onward deployment to affected areas once
conditions would allow.
On September 25, NOAA advised that Tropical Storm Helene had
maximum sustained winds of 65 mph and began expanding watches and
warnings for portions of the United States, forecasting a major
hurricane to approach the Big Bend of Florida late the next day. It was
at this time that the NOAA first forecast a high chance of flash
flooding for portions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina
over the following five days. Shortly after that forecast, Georgia,
Alabama, and North Carolina requested Emergency Declarations, which
were all approved on September 26.
Also on September 25, FEMA enhanced the NRCC's activation to its
highest level, with federal departments and agencies representing all
Emergency Support Functions activated to provide support. Concurrently,
FEMA deployed IMATs and Federal Coordinating Officers to Georgia and
North Carolina to integrate with state emergency operations and
deployed an IMAT with emergency communications capabilities to the
state emergency operations center in Alabama.
Early on September 26, NOAA advised Helene had maximum sustained
winds of 90 mph (Category 1) and was 385 miles south of Apalachicola,
Florida; hurricane warnings extended from Florida into Georgia and
tropical storm warnings extended across Florida, Georgia, South
Carolina, and into portions of North Carolina. FEMA staged federal
search and rescue capabilities and the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) deployed health and medical capabilities under a mission
assignment, including healthcare site assessment teams and health and
medical task forces, in Georgia and Florida for rapid deployment. At
the same time, FEMA deployed search and rescue capabilities throughout
western North Carolina to rapidly respond to impacted areas as soon as
there was a need, as well as emergency communications capabilities to
augment and ensure interoperability across all federal response teams.
By mid-afternoon on September 26, Helene had reached major
hurricane status (Category 3 and higher) with maximum sustained winds
nearing 120 mph. On this same day, South Carolina requested and
received approval for an Emergency Declaration. Later that evening, at
approximately 11:10 pm EDT, Helene made landfall as a Category 4
hurricane in Dekle Beach, Florida just east of the mouth of the Aucilla
River, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 140 mph. On the day of
Helene's landfall, there were already over 1,500 FEMA personnel
deployed across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and South
Carolina.
On September 27, Helene entered the State of Georgia as a Category
2 hurricane, and NOAA downgraded it to Tropical Storm status by 5:00 AM
EDT on Friday morning. The storm continued to track across Georgia,
South Carolina, and North Carolina, causing widespread damage.
Additional search and rescue teams deployed by FEMA arrived in North
Carolina along with health and medical resources, including HHS
healthcare site assessment teams. FEMA deployed a Federal Coordinating
Officer to the South Carolina State Emergency Operations Center, with
emergency communications capabilities. Tennessee requested, and
received, an Emergency Declaration.
By September 28, the storm's windspeed diminished further, but its
effects--especially its associated rainfall--continued. Virginia
requested an Emergency Declaration, which the President quickly
approved the following day. FEMA continued to deploy additional
personnel and teams, including search and rescue teams, health and
medical resources to North Carolina, an IMAT to South Carolina, and
moved thousands of FEMA and other Federal personnel into all impacted
states. In total, over 3,300 total federal personnel were deployed as
of September 28.
During the response to Helene, FEMA continued to monitor for future
threats and maintain mission readiness for additional disaster
activity. Beginning on September 26, NOAA identified another tropical
disturbance, which later became Hurricane Milton. FEMA and our
interagency partners immediately began developing a multi-incident
threat outlook, analyzing the ongoing response to Hurricane Helene,
potential impacts from an additional tropical cyclone, and its effects
on federal response operations. The threat outlook was updated daily as
the forecast for Hurricane Milton became clearer, informing our efforts
to begin preparations for another hurricane landfall in the U.S.
Using this information, FEMA took similar steps to coordinate with
our state partners and preposition federal assets in anticipation of
Hurricane Milton. The NRCC, which remained activated to its highest-
level throughout the Hurricane Helene response began to simultaneously
support for Hurricane Milton preparations on October 6, including
coordinated pre-planning with the State of Florida. Throughout this
time, FEMA led the coordination with the interagency to prioritize
resource movements and staging of assets to ensure ongoing response
needs from Hurricane Helene were being met, while preparing for
anticipated impacts in Florida from Hurricane Milton. On October 6 and
7, FEMA received requests from the State of Florida and the Seminole
Tribe of Florida for Emergency Declarations, which were subsequently
approved on October 7 and 8, respectively. Hurricane Milton later made
landfall on October 10 near Siesta Key, Florida.
Ahead of both of these storms, FEMA stayed in consistent
communications with our partners, including all levels of state
government. For example, I communicated with governors from states such
as Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and
Virginia ahead of both Helene and Milton, in order to ensure their
needs were being met. Partnerships such as these are vital for ensuring
that the right resources are delivered to where they are needed most
before, during, and after the disaster.
Emergency Declarations for Helene
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Date Requested Date Approved
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Florida......................... September 23...... September 24.
Georgia......................... September 25...... September 26.
North Carolina.................. September 25...... September 26.
Alabama......................... September 25...... September 26.
South Carolina.................. September 26...... September 26.
Tennessee....................... September 27...... September 27.
Virginia........................ September 28...... September 29.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emergency Declarations for Milton
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State or Tribe Date Requested Date Approved
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Florida......................... October 6......... October 7.
Seminole Tribe of Florida....... October 7......... October 8.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FEMA-led federal prepositioning efforts ahead of Hurricanes
Helene and Milton were massive. For Helene, FEMA staged Urban Search
and Rescue Task Forces across the states anticipated to be impacted, as
well as U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rotary wing aircraft, USCG fixed wing
aircraft, USCG water rescue teams, Department of Interior (DOI) water
rescue teams, and Department of Defense (DOD) high clearance vehicles
and rotary wing aircraft. Ahead of Hurricane Milton, additional federal
search and rescue resources were staged and re-positioned to rapidly
respond to impacts across Florida while maintaining search and rescue
capabilities for continuing Helene requirements. In total, FEMA
deployed 24 Urban Search and Rescue Task Forces, over 15 USCG fixed and
rotary wing aircraft, numerous USCG and DOI water rescue teams, 41 DOD
rotary wing aircraft, and 60 DOD high clearance vehicles were deployed
and pre-positioned to support search and rescue operations across
impacted states.
Additionally, using the National Medical Transport Services
contract, FEMA activated over 700 ambulances, medical helicopters, and
medical airplanes ahead of Helene and Milton to provide rapid emergency
medical services capabilities across impacted states. And in
coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), FEMA directed water and
wastewater system, temporary power, and debris assessment teams or
subject matter experts to be pre-positioned along both Helene and
Milton storm tracks to support restoration of critical services.
Ahead of Hurricane Helene, FEMA and its federal partners also
established staging operations for commodities, equipment, and fuel, in
coordination with state emergency officials, across several sites.
These sites include FEMA's Distribution Center in Atlanta, Maxwell Air
Force Base (AFB) and Craig Field in Alabama as well as Warner Robbins
AFB, in Georgia. This footprint was quickly expanded with operations at
Conley, Georgia; Charlotte and Hickory, North Carolina; and Ft.
Campbell, Kentucky. FEMA sustained these operations through Hurricane
Milton's landfall and response.
As part of these efforts, FEMA initially staged 9 million meals, 10
million liters of water, over 300 generators, ample supplies of tarps
and protective roof sheeting, as well as bulk supplies of diesel and
gasoline and other commodities. FEMA ensured continuous availability of
these commodities by resupplying staging areas with meals and water
from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and General Services
Administration (GSA), as well as through pre-negotiated contingency
contracts with a wide variety of vendors.
During
Lifesaving Operations
In further support of these efforts to save lives during the
immediate response to these storms, FEMA mobilized the Federal Search
and Rescue Coordination Group to bring together all federal, state, and
local search and rescue organizations to develop and execute a unified
and coordinated search and rescue strategy across the six impacted
states.
The 24 National Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) task forces that
FEMA deployed saved lives during the responses to Hurricanes Helene and
Milton. This included over 1,500 US&R task force personnel, 110
canines, and 90 swift water resources such as flood skiffs during
deployments which stretched from September 25 to October 18. Due to
prepositioning efforts, many of these teams were able to engage in
lifesaving operations before impacts from the storms had subsided. For
example, in North Carolina, from September 27 to 29, FEMA US&R teams
conducted more than 2,000 structural evaluations; rescued, assisted, or
evacuated 121 people and 12 pets; and checked on the wellbeing of more
than 500 people who were sheltering in place.
In addition to FEMA US&R task forces, USCG, DOI, and DOD provided
rotary and fixed wing aircraft, water rescue capabilities, and high
clearance vehicles to further augment and support federal search and
rescue operations. USCG resources arrived and were pre-positioned ahead
of the storm beginning on September 25, and conducted search and rescue
operations September 27 through October 13. DOI resources were pre-
positioned and staged beginning September 27 and conducted operations
from October 6 through October 12. DOD resources were initially pre-
positioned on Sept. 26th, with additional resources becoming available
October 1. DOD began search and rescue operations on September 27 and
continued through October 12. In total across all federal departments
and agencies, federal personnel searched over 375,000 specific sites
across the impacted states and had over 18,000 interactions with
survivors for both Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Life Sustaining Operations
Beyond their immediate lifesaving needs during response operations,
many survivors required life sustaining resources such as shelter,
food, and water.
During the response to Helene and Milton, state and local
governments, as well as non-profit organizations, operated evacuation
and emergency shelters throughout the impacted areas. At the peak of
Hurricane Helene, more than 30,000 people sought safe shelter in 130
facilities across the States of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and
North Carolina. During Hurricane Milton, more than 83,000 people in
more than 280 shelters sought safety across Florida while the storm
made landfall.
The pre-landfall Emergency Declarations approved by the President
authorized FEMA to reimburse costs for sheltering actions taken by
state, local, and tribal governments. FEMA also provided food, water,
and medical supplies for shelter facilities.
During the responses to Helene and Milton, FEMA made food and water
available to impacted communities not only for those in shelters, but
also for those who had sheltered in place and were in need, making
initial use of the prepositioned 9 million meals and 10 million liters
of water. FEMA has continued to push deliveries of food, water, and
other items from our staging sites, our distribution centers, from the
DLA, GSA, and through pre-negotiated contracts with a variety of
vendors to the affected states at their request. As of November 13,
FEMA has delivered over 16 million meals, 18 million liters of water,
over 3,000 rolls of blue roof sheeting, more than 700,000 gallons of
fuel, and other products, representing deliveries of over 2,000 tractor
trailer loads of critical supplies across six states.
FEMA delivered these requested commodities to states, and the
states then distributed these supplies to impacted communities, through
state Points of Distribution (PODs). And states coordinated with local
voluntary agencies who specialize in volunteer and donations management
on feeding missions. For example, voluntary partners served over 2.1
million meals to survivors following Hurricane Helene, and over 467,000
meals following Hurricane Milton.
In certain regions, the extensive damage from Helene created unique
obstacles to delivering these critical supplies. These obstacles
required a whole-of-government approach to overcome.
Every disaster is unique, and Helene resulted in widespread road
and bridge damages across locations, including the mountainous terrain
of Western North Carolina. Intense rainfall saturated steep slopes,
triggering landslides that buried roads. Narrow valleys across
Appalachia funneled floodwaters into confined river channels, washing
away critical transportation routes, such as portions of I-40, which
provide key connections for communities in western North Carolina and
eastern Tennessee. In western North Carolina alone, a total 655 roads
were closed. As a result, many communities were isolated and
significantly more difficult for emergency responders to reach.
The National Guard is often activated by states to fulfill a wide
range of missions during disaster response, including distributing
commodities. In North Carolina, they proved pivotal. In addition, given
the scale of this disaster, on October 2, FEMA, at the request of
Governor Cooper, directed 1,000 active-duty troops to partner with the
North Carolina National Guard on the ground to support critical
missions, including commodity distribution and emergency route
clearance. Governor Cooper requested this assistance on October 1. On
October 6, the Administration ordered another 500 active-duty troops to
move into western North Carolina to surge additional resources and
capacity at the request of the Governor. The relief efforts by both
State National Guard and Title 10 personnel were consolidated under a
Dual Status Commander to ensure efficiency and unity of effort. Using a
combination of air and ground assets, the force multiplier of our DOD
partners further enabled the rapid delivery of these critical
resources. DOD personnel directly supported 11 PODs across western
North Carolina and eastern Tennessee and facilitated the delivery of
over 10.5 million pounds of commodities through air and ground
distribution efforts. This included delivering over 3.4 million liters
of water and over 30 thousand meals.
Getting these life sustaining supplies to the last mile, and into
the hands of survivors in isolated communities, was part of what became
known as the PODs to People effort. National Guard and Title 10 trucks
and ground vehicles delivered commodities to isolated communities
identified by the state, including right to individual survivor's
doorsteps. And when heavy vehicles could not travel by ground,
helicopters were used to lift commodity shipments and drop them at
designated locations within the impacted community. From there, more
nimble trucks and other ground vehicles would transport them to the
identified POD locations where they were needed most. Members of the
National Guard, together with active duty servicemembers, conducted
more than 1,200 ground missions and more than 400 air missions in
coordination with the state of North Carolina. Service members
supported these operations across Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke,
Caldwell, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford,
Watauga, and Yancey counties, as well as with the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians.
Whole of Government Response--Mission Assignments
In responding to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, FEMA leveraged its
authorities to mission assign over 64 other federal agencies to conduct
a variety of response and recovery operations. As of November 13, FEMA
issued 612 mission assignments across the operation, totaling over $1.8
billion in obligations. Federal agencies which received a mission
assignment include: AmeriCorps; other components of the Department of
Homeland Security, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency (CISA); Department of Commerce and its components,
including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA);
DOD and its components, including DLA and the USACE; Department of
Energy and its components; DOI and its components, including National
Park Service and US Geological Survey (USGS); Department of Justice and
its components, including the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF);
Department of Labor; Department of State and its components; Department
of Transportation and its components, including Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA); National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB);
Department of Veterans Affairs and its components, including the
Veterans Health Administration; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
Federal Communications Commission (FCC); GSA; Department of Health and
Human Services and its components, including Administration for
Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR); Department of Housing and
Urban Development; National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA); Small Business Administration (SBA); Department of the
Treasury; US Agency for International Development (USAID); as well as
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its components, including US
Forest Service (USFS).
These mission assignments and contributions from our federal
partners have supported response operations in fundamental ways, such
as by clearing debris and roads, repairing water facilities, and
conducting damage assessments.
As previously referenced, Hurricanes Helene and Milton left
landslides and debris strewn across landscapes, creating dangerous
obstructions that blocked roadways and complicated recovery efforts. To
help our state partners overcome these obstacles, USACE, the USFS, and
the USGS have provided technical assistance and direct support to
impacted states for debris removal actions. To date, they have
supported the removal of millions of cubic yards of debris across
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and
Virginia, and assisted in clearing over 120 miles of roadways.
Additionally, DOD personnel are deployed into western North Carolina
and eastern Tennessee to support ongoing debris removal operations. To
date, DOD personnel have supported clearing over 375 miles of blocked
roadways across these specific impacted areas. Additionally, all local
and state response operations for eligible debris removal and emergency
protective measures in these six states will be reimbursed at 100
percent federal share by FEMA for specific and limited periods of time.
In addition to clearing debris and roadways, our federal partners
played a vital role in helping impacted states to stabilize critical
infrastructure impacted by the storms, such as damaged water and
wastewater facilities. For example, catastrophic flash flooding in
western North Carolina comprehensively damaged water and wastewater
facilities across the region, resulting in significant structural
breaks in places like Asheville, which impacted over 510,000 customers.
Federal resources were deployed to bolster state and private sector
efforts and bring this critical infrastructure back online. By October
31, the EPA and USACE provided 32 detailed assessments for the most
heavily damaged rapid water and wastewater facilities to help state and
local officials determine the best courses of action for both the
immediate term and long recovery. And during this time, USACE installed
a reverse osmosis unit to support potable water needs at the University
of North Carolina-Asheville campus. Additionally, USACE is working with
the City of Asheville to obtain and install a large-scale filtration
unit at the Burdett Reservoir to expand potable water access across the
community.
In the weeks that followed Helene, Asheville regained water,
representing a significant step for residents, though boil water
advisories remain in place. FEMA continues to proactively identify
temporary solutions to water and wastewater service restoration in
these highly impacted areas. And in collaboration with local, state,
and federal partners like USACE and EPA, phased assessments of impacted
facilities are continuing to identify appropriate courses of action for
repair and restoration. FEMA will continue to work with USACE to assist
in the installation of emergency temporary systems as identified and
requested by the state.
Whole-of-government partnerships such as these have also helped
FEMA to increase the speed of damage assessments during the response to
Hurricanes Helene and Milton. In addition to leveraging our internal
capabilities, FEMA coordinated closely with numerous federal
departments and agencies, including NOAA; DOD and component agencies,
such as the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) and USACE
through the Army Geospatial Center and Field Force Engineering program,
other components of DHS, such as the USCG; and NASA to capture aerial
and satellite imagery immediately following the storms using advanced
imaging, analysis, and modeling technologies. This information was then
used to more rapidly inform lifesaving response operations across
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and
Virginia.
These damage assessments are additionally used to inform the Major
Disaster Declaration process. In order to swiftly process state
requests for major disaster declarations and get assistance to
survivors faster, FEMA rapidly sourced and assessed the overhead aerial
imagery mentioned above, and supplemented it with ground-level photos,
and observed hazard data such as wind speeds, flood gauge depths,
precipitation accumulation, power outages, and modeled inundation
depths. FEMA's team of trained analysts then reviewed this information
to expeditiously assemble and route disaster declaration requests with
supporting data to the President.
Major Disaster Declarations
FEMA's Major Disaster Declarations provide a wide range of federal
assistance programs for impacted individuals and public infrastructure
that exceeds the assistance available under pre-landfall Emergency
Declarations. For individual survivors, this can include help with
urgent needs, such as food, water, and diapers, temporary housing, home
repair and many other types of assistance. For public infrastructure,
this can include federal support for the repair and replacement of
disaster damaged roads, bridges, water control facilities, utilities,
and schools. FEMA also provides assistance to state, tribal, and local
governments for emergency protective measures and debris removal.
Declared states additionally receive hazard mitigation grants to employ
cost effective measures that will reduce future disaster losses.
In order to jumpstart the recovery process after Helene and Milton,
FEMA worked closely with state, tribal, and local officials to expedite
assistance to survivors impacted by these disasters. To ensure FEMA was
getting aid to survivors as quickly as possible, the initial Major
Disaster Declarations included a subset of counties where major damage
could be clearly and rapidly identified, either through on-the-ground
damage assessments or utilizing geospatial technology as described
above. Following these initial Major Disaster Declarations, FEMA has
continued to work closely with state and local partners to conduct
additional damage assessments which enable additional counties to be
added to the original declaration. Once additional counties are
assessed and confirmed to qualify for assistance, they can be quickly
added on a rolling basis. By utilizing this approach, FEMA was able to
rapidly process Major Disaster Declaration requests for the President's
approval, as demonstrated below.
Major Disaster Declarations for Helene
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Date Requested Date Approved
------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Carolina.................. September 27...... September 28.
Florida......................... September 28...... September 28.
South Carolina.................. September 28...... September 29.
Georgia......................... September 30...... September 30.
Virginia........................ September 30...... October 1.
Tennessee....................... September 30...... October 2.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Disaster Declaration for Milton
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State or Tribe Date Requested Date Approved
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Florida......................... October 11........ October 11.
Seminole Tribe of Florida....... October 25........ November
5.\\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\\ Not an expedited request
Individual Assistance
These expedited declarations led to positive and tangible impacts
for survivors. Under the Major Disaster Declarations, the President
approved Individual Assistance (IA), which is one of the principal ways
FEMA can directly help households impacted by the storms. The IA
program provides two primary types of support. The first is financial
assistance, and the second is housing assistance.
Impacted individuals and families can apply for IA by registering
online at disasterassistance.gov; calling the FEMA hotline; by talking
with Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) teams that work in impacted
areas going door-to-door, in congregate shelters, and at other
established locations in communities like fire departments; or by
visiting one of the 116 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) opened for
Helene and Milton. The first DSA teams began working in the field on
September 29, and at its peak on October 30, more than 1,400 FEMA DSA
team members are in affected neighborhoods helping survivors apply for
assistance. Additionally, survivors can register within one of FEMA's
37 Mobile Registration Intake Centers (MRICs). These mobile vehicles
move around throughout impacted communities to assist survivors with
registering for FEMA assistance.
So far in 2024, nearly 4.3 million households have registered for
assistance and more than $3.6 billion in assistance has been provided.
Specifically for Hurricanes Helene and Milton, more than 2.4 million
households have registered and FEMA has already provided more than $1.6
billion in assistance, with millions more being awarded each day.
One of the initial ways in which FEMA can financially help
survivors is through Serious Needs Assistance (SNA). SNA is upfront,
initial assistance intended to help survivors with costs such as food,
clothing, baby formula, diapers, or medications when they have serious
needs created by the disaster. This program offers survivors a one-time
payment of $750 for disasters declared in FY24 and $770 for disasters
declared in FY25 that does not need to be repaid. To receive SNA, the
survivor must be eligible for assistance generally, have had their
identity verified, and have a completed home inspection. When it is
apparent to FEMA that damage is so widespread in a particular area that
it is more likely than not that someone applying for assistance will be
eligible for SNA, FEMA may expedite the assistance before a home
inspection, for survivors that indicate they have a need. FEMA took
this expedited approach for the areas hardest hit by Hurricanes Helene
and Milton. For Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the average time from
registration to approval of SNA is two days. Following approval, it
takes approximately one to two business days for funds to be deposited
in the survivor's account.
SNA helps survivors begin their recovery by providing real-world,
tangible benefits in their time of greatest need, and ensuring
financial access to vital resources such as food, water, medication,
and other emergency supplies. As of November 13, more than 671,000
households affected by Hurricane Helene have received over $503 million
in SNA, while more than 218,000 households affected by Hurricane Milton
have received over $145 million in SNA.
This program is, however, by no means the only type of FEMA
assistance directly available to survivors. SNA is a single tool among
many that can be used to help individuals during the immediate
aftermath of the disaster. FEMA also provides financial assistance to
individuals and households to make critical repairs to their disaster
damaged residences and to address other vital needs, such as damaged
personal property, damaged vehicles, and medical care, as well as
rental assistance.
Residents in many of the counties impacted by Hurricanes Helene and
Milton who have applied for disaster assistance are also eligible for
FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program. Under the TSA
program, survivors can temporarily stay in a hotel paid for by FEMA and
the State while they work on their long-term housing plan. Survivors do
not need to request this assistance. FEMA will notify them of their
eligibility through an automated phone call, text message, or email,
depending upon the method of communication preferred by the survivor.
Individuals and households may be eligible if they cannot return to
their disaster-damaged home and their housing needs cannot be met by
insurance, shelters, or rental assistance provided by FEMA or another
agency. In the weeks following Helene and Milton, FEMA has provided TSA
to more than 30,000 households who have checked into participating
hotels since the storms. FEMA has also provided more than $3 million in
rental assistance to more than 1,000 households.
Transitional Sheltering Assistance
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Currently
State Sheltered Checked In Checked Out
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FL-Helene........................ 8,568 6,618 8,568
FL-Milton........................ 13,530 10,684 2,846
NC-Helene........................ 8,715 4,506 4,209
SC-Helene........................ 5,620 3,953 1,667
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total as of 11/13/2024......... 36,433 25,761 10,672
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FEMA is also providing Direct Temporary Housing Assistance (DTHA)
in certain counties in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida. DTHA
provides safe, secure housing to eligible disaster survivors who are
unable to obtain temporary housing through other means. Multiple
approaches are used to provide direct housing. These include
manufactured housing units, the Direct Lease Program, and the Multi-
Family Lease and Repair Program. FEMA determines which forms of direct
housing are used in each county based on survivor preferences,
logistical considerations, and availability of resources.
Direct temporary housing solutions are tailored to meet individual
survivors' needs, so they take time to implement. FEMA is actively
working with survivors in all three states to assess eligibility and
housing needs. FEMA is also working to identify property owners
interested in participating in direct lease or multi-family lease and
repair as well as evaluating potential commercial park and other
properties for placement of temporary housing units. FEMA works with
survivors and to secure potential properties in parallel to meet
survivors' needs as quickly as possible. Survivors are already moving
into temporary housing units in North Carolina, and we will see similar
progress in Florida and Tennessee in the coming weeks.
After
Recovery
In the immediate weeks that followed Helene and Milton, FEMA and
our partners prioritized search and rescue efforts, reopening roads to
reconnect hard-to-reach areas, delivering essential commodities to
residents, restoring critical infrastructure, and getting help to those
who need it most. As these operations began to stabilize, we initiated
long-term recovery efforts across the six impacted states.
The long-term recovery goals of each state are unique to the
specific needs and challenges of their impacted communities.
Recognizing this, FEMA is working closely with each state and with
critical federal partners to coordinate a whole-of-government recovery
effort that addresses the specific goals of each community. In support
of this mission, FEMA has activated Interagency Recovery Coordination
(IRC) teams in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina,
Tennessee, and Virginia. The IRC teams are focusing on coordinating
assistance in areas such as housing, infrastructure, community support,
natural and cultural resources, health, education, human services, and
economic recovery. Using the National Disaster Recovery Framework,
which organizes federal recovery support into six Recovery Support
Functions (RSFs), the IRC team collaborates with state partners to
maximize the resources and support the federal government can provide
for recovery efforts.
These RSFs are the Community Assistance Recovery Support Function.;
the Economic Recovery Support Function; the Health and Social Services
Recovery Support Function; the Housing Recovery Support Function; the
Infrastructure Systems Recovery Support Function; and the Natural and
Cultural Resources Recovery Support Function.
Flexibilities
FEMA is focused on cutting red tape to expedite the road to
recovery wherever possible. For example, FEMA has authorized a series
of waivers and flexibilities to accelerate the clearance and
appropriate disposal of disaster debris. This was especially critical
in Florida, where our state partners had to move very quickly to move
debris following Hurricane Helene that posed an immediate public safety
risk prior to Hurricane Milton. And then following the widespread
impact of both hurricanes in Florida, FEMA has worked to help
communities overcome the challenges associated with indistinguishable
damages from the two storms. In order to do this, FEMA is considering
all work that cannot be obviously attributed to only Hurricane Helene,
to be the result of Hurricane Milton. This includes debris removal in
jurisdictions impacted by and designated for assistance under the
declarations for both hurricanes. This approach is intended to simplify
the process for the development and submission of project applications
under the FEMA Public Assistance Program.
FEMA is also exploring flexibilities to help repair the thousands
of private roads and bridges washed away by the catastrophic flooding
or landslides. Many residences, particularly those in mountainous
areas, rely upon these private roads and bridges to cross steep terrain
and access their homes or communities. First responders and emergency
services, such as ambulances and firetrucks, also rely upon these same
roads and bridges to deliver lifesaving assistance. In order to rebuild
these vital connections between survivors and their communities, FEMA
is utilizing its Home Repair Assistance to help cover these uninsured
costs and ensure that local government emergency services are able to
reach these residences. FEMA has also authorized limited, emergency
repairs to enable emergency access through the Public Assistance
program. FEMA is doing this by providing policy flexibility to permit
state and local governments to conduct emergency repair of private
bridges as a Category B emergency protective measure, making the work
eligible for Public Assistance funding in limited circumstances when it
is necessary to restore emergency access to private residences. As an
emergency protective measure to protect public health and safety, such
repairs will be conducted as quickly as possible. Repairs are limited
to only what is necessary to restore emergency access to provide
emergency services to private residences in accordance with issued
Disaster Specific Guidance (DSG). The DSG offers multiple flexibilities
including the ability to make repairs utilizing volunteer labor,
authorization to spend up to $40,000 per property for repairs,
exclusive of overhead, and the ability to request an increase on a
case-by-case basis when greater repairs are in the public interest.
FEMA will also allow repairs to roads and bridges to access private
property if the owner is eligible for direct housing assistance and the
site is suitable for a temporary housing unit.
As another example of increased flexibilities, FEMA has
authorized--for the first time--expedited funding for projects less
than $1 million. This policy waiver allows FEMA to advance up to 50% of
the project costs while jurisdictions complete final paperwork. Many of
the communities impacted by these disasters are small, and the budgets
of local governments can quickly become overwhelmed by the scale of
these challenges. To help our local partners overcome this, FEMA
authorized this kind of expedited funding for projects below the large
project threshold in Public Assistance. This will provide communities
with immediate access to capital to help cover the costs of the
emergency protective measures they had to take. Additionally, FEMA has
streamlined the process for Community Disaster Loans to make them more
readily accessible to communities and help support their normal
operating costs while their tax base recovers. The Community Disaster
Loan Program provides funding for local governments to operate their
essential community services after substantial revenue loss caused by a
disaster, such as police and fire protection, trash collection, revenue
collection, public facilities maintenance, and hazard insurance.
FEMA will continue to identify ways to remove bureaucratic barriers
and find new opportunities to help survivors. For example, USACE
contractors in North Carolina are removing damaged trees from the North
Carolina Arboretum and delivering logs to identified staging areas.
Volunteers are sorting wood under the guidance of the USDA subject
matter experts according to potential use such as furniture, firewood,
or mulch. Appropriately trained volunteers are cutting wood that is
unsuitable for furniture into firewood. Municipalities and local
volunteers are then distributing wood to artisans and other residents
for use. This innovative approach has the opportunity to create new
business opportunities, reduce home heating costs, and lessen landfill
requirements.
Resilience
As we rebuild in these communities, we must also ensure that we
build back better with more resilient infrastructure. During the
rebuilding process, communities will have access to FEMA's Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which provides funding to state,
local, and tribal governments so they can develop hazard mitigation
plans and rebuild in a way that reduces, or mitigates, future disaster
losses in their communities.
During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we have seen examples of the
ways in which past mitigation grant funding helped to blunt the impact
of these disasters. For example, in Surry County, North Carolina,
generators had been purchased and installed at two different wastewater
facilities using HMGP grants. During power outages from Helene, the
generators provided continuous service without interruption to both
Mount Airy and the nearby town of Pilot Mountain, in a region where
many other wastewater facilities went offline for extended durations.
Similarly, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency had purchased 18
generators using HMGP funding, and each of them played an important
role during Hurricane Helene. All 18 were deployed during the response
to provide power for water, wastewater, hospitals, nursing homes, and
911 Centers across the affected areas. In Florida, the Flood Mitigation
Assistance (FMA) grant program had mitigated 415 homes across the state
against flood damage. In Pinellas County alone, there are numerous
examples of these homes that had been elevated out of harm's way. These
are homes that families could return to after evacuating and not have
to worry about the damage and challenges of rebuilding. The broad
usages of mitigation grants program funding has the power to keep
critical facilities operational, such as the wastewater facilities, and
mitigate individual residential structures--allowing the returned
families access and usage of the residence, thus minimizing the time in
temporary housing or shelters.
As we move forward, FEMA will work with our partners to ensure that
mitigation opportunities are identified and maximized during recovery,
and every opportunity is taken to rebuild in more resilient ways.
Road Ahead
In the weeks since Helene and Milton, FEMA has provided more than
$1.6 billion in assistance to more than 910,400 households, as well as
$1.29 billion in total Public Assistance obligations to impacted
states. And as of November 13, more than 7,500 FEMA employees remain
deployed, along with 800 Surge Capacity Force members, to support the
ongoing response and recovery operations for Helene and Milton. But the
road ahead is long. And FEMA with its partners, will remain on the
ground until the job is done.
To that end, we continue to seek out ways to expand our workforce
and incorporate local insights. In addition to growing our ranks
through local hire programs across impacted states, FEMA is launching a
new Community Liaison Program in North Carolina. These community-based
staff will be embedded in every impacted county in North Carolina, and
work directly with county administrators, mayors, and local leaders to
ensure that the community has a leading role in the recovery process.
As we look to the challenges and opportunities ahead, we recognize
the importance of leveraging and relying upon the relationships we have
built with leadership from all levels of federal, tribal state, and
county governments, non-profit organizations, private sector, and
impacted communities. As previously stated, the scale of this disaster
will require a coordinated recovery effort at all levels of government
and civil society.
And the Members of the Committee here today represent one of the
fundamental federal partnerships during this process. I ask for
continued support from each of you, and to ensure that both FEMA and
our partners have the resources needed as we all work together to
rebuild a more ready and resilient nation.
I would also like to thank the Members here today for favorably
passing the Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act out of
committee just days before Hurricane Helene made landfall. As we all
seek opportunities to empower our state and local emergency manager
partners, this bill would allow state, tribal, and territorial
governments to repurpose unused FEMA funding previously allocated for
management costs after a disaster. These funds would be used to bolster
their administrative capacities to prepare for, recover from, or
mitigate future disasters. FEMA cannot accomplish this mission alone.
It requires mature and strong partnerships, and this bill that would
provide additional flexibilities that can help to build the emergency
management capacities of state, tribal, and territorial governments.
Thank you for your support as this bill continues to work its way
through the legislative process.
Conclusion
In closing, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the families
of those who lost loved ones or their homes in the storms. I would also
like to emphasize my gratitude to the first responders, state, local,
and tribal emergency managers, FEMA personnel, and partner agencies for
their adaptability and endurance. Many of them put themselves in harm's
way during the response and continued to answer the call while feeling
the impact of the storms firsthand. I also want to recognize the heroic
work of community groups and everyday people--our neighbors and
friends--who sprang into action and supported their community during a
time of great need.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I look forward to
your questions.
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Perry. Thank you, Administrator, for your testimony. We
will now turn to questions from Members. The Chair recognizes
himself for 5 minutes.
Administrator, last week, we sent a letter signed by myself
and all the committee's Republican Members to you about the
recent allegations that you just mentioned: FEMA workers
skipped the homes of supporters of the President-elect.
Following the allegations, you issued a statement that one FEMA
employee departed from FEMA's values and was terminated.
However, she alleges that those were the instructions from FEMA
when she was deployed. She asserts that FEMA supervisors and
leadership were aware. And independently, we have received
reports of similar practices in places like North Carolina.
Tell me about the investigation. Tell me about the
investigation. Who is conducting it? And has there been an IG
investigation initiated by yourself or anybody in FEMA?
Ms. Criswell. Chairman Perry, there is nothing in our
policies, in our procedures, in our training that would direct
any employee to bypass anybody's home based on their political
party. I cannot speak to what her motivations were, but this
came to my attention again on November 7. I directed my team to
get me information. They gave me factual information on
November 9, which is when I directed the termination of this
employee.
This first came to our Office of Professional
Responsibility on October 28 through the team member from TSA
who was working under this individual. She immediately raised
it to the Office of the Special Counsel, who took the case as a
potential violation of the Hatch Act. There were ongoing
investigations with that, and the Office of Professional
Responsibility is currently working with the IG to determine
what the investigative matters will be going forward. The IG
has not of yet stated they want to investigate this, but I
highly encourage them to take on this case and look and see if
this was a widespread issue or if this was just a single
incident.
Mr. Perry. So, you are working with them, and you have
encouraged them, but you haven't requested they do so.
Now, according to the your employee, Ms. Washington, who
was asked--and this is a public report--``So, you are telling
me these orders came from somebody above?'`
And she said, ``Correct.'`
So, what has your investigation gleaned regarding her
direct supervisors or the people above her? Have you questioned
them? And what have your answers been?
Ms. Criswell. Chairman Perry, we do have an ongoing
investigation, and we have questioned other personnel in this
chain of command, and we find no information at this point that
there was anything beyond her direction to her employees to
skip and bypass a home.
Mr. Perry. So, the same employee alleged that the Florida
team had already been avoiding Trump voters' homes prior to her
work there, and that this was, as she said, the culture. Now,
these aren't my words. These are the words from a FEMA employee
who is claiming that she is being the scapegoat. She said,
``But I am just simply executing again what was coming down
from my supervisors.'`
Do you know--how many supervisors does she have? How many
people above her before she gets to you?
Ms. Criswell. She is a crew lead, which is the lowest level
of supervision.
Mr. Perry. So, there are a lot of people above her, so to
speak----
Ms. Criswell [interposing]. There are several people.
Mr. Perry [continuing]. In the chain of command, if you----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. I would be happy to forward an
organizational chart that would show where she sits within the
organization.
Mr. Perry. And your investigation has spoken to, certainly,
the immediate and maybe two or three steps above that?
Ms. Criswell. We have an ongoing investigation, Chairman
Perry, to determine if there were any additional acts that
violated our core values of compassion, fairness, integrity,
and respect.
Mr. Perry. Okay----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. And at this time we have
found----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. So, I get there is an ongoing
investigation. But this isn't a law enforcement thing, where
you can't say, well, we have an investigation, so, we can't
talk about it. You can talk about this. Does the investigation
include her immediate supervisors and several steps above them?
Ms. Criswell. The investigation includes those that were
deployed in this particular incident, and we have found no
evidence that there is anything beyond this one employee's
specific direction.
Mr. Perry. You found no evidence at this point.
Let me ask you this. Now, you can understand that, from
America's perspective--certainly the people that weren't
visited when FEMA was in town--that it would be in FEMA's best
interest to just investigate this internally, say this is a
one-off employee, that this claim of hers that it is a culture
is just her trying to kind of make sure that the
responsibility, the accountability doesn't fall on her. Why
shouldn't this be an independent investigation by at least
somebody like the IG?
Ms. Criswell. The actions that this employee took are
unacceptable----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. I know that, and you know that.
We agree on that.
Ms. Criswell. I would welcome an investigation by the IG.
Mr. Perry. But you haven't requested. Will you request one?
Ms. Criswell. I will request one.
Mr. Perry. Thank you.
The Chair now recognizes the gentlelady, the ranking member
from Nevada, Ms. Titus.
Ms. Titus. Thank you.
I mentioned in my opening statement about how FEMA, in the
new reality, has to deal with misinformation. And then you
heard one of our witnesses, the Congresslady from Florida,
mention how it had been a problem as they tried to recover from
the hurricanes. I wonder if you could talk to us about what
kind of policy or official strategy you all might be developing
to deal with misinformation, and how it does indeed hurt your
attempts to get relief out to people who have been hit by these
disasters.
Ms. Criswell. Ranking Member Titus, we have experienced
some level and type of misinformation probably throughout
FEMA's history. We have a standard practice of standing up a
rumor control page, where we can put factual evidence out there
because part of it is we also have a lot of people that are
trying to defraud those that have just lost so much, and
pretending to be a Federal agency such as FEMA to register even
on their behalf.
So, we have had a standing practice of, when we identify
this information, of standing up some type of mechanism to
ensure that the general public can get factual information from
a validated Government source. In this case, it would be our
source. But we continue to see this rise. We saw an increase in
the amount of misinformation during the response to the Maui
wildfires. But the amount of information and misinformation
that we saw during the responses to Hurricanes Helene and
Milton was at a scale that I had never seen before.
And so, this requires us to now include in our planning and
preparedness how we are going to be able to reach people. The
goal is not necessarily to take down misinformation, but how do
we ensure that people are getting actual correct information so
they are not afraid to reach out to their Federal agency and
apply for the assistance that they need, that they deserve, and
that they are eligible for under the law.
Ms. Titus. Did you provide this information in different
languages? And do you work with community leaders who can help
you to get the information out? Just not elected officers, but
church leaders or civic leaders?
Ms. Criswell. We work in a number of ways. For example,
during Maui, we had one of our Native Hawaiian employees
develop a public security safety announcement and deliver that
out through her own social media channels to let people within
her community know that they could and should apply for
assistance.
I remember an opportunity during Hurricane Ida in
Louisiana, where we found a Vietnamese community, and we
developed information in their native language and sent it out
through their channels. And it was one of our most watched
videos on FEMA, so we could get them actual information about
what resources were available for them.
We have a strong network through our faith-based leadership
team to reach out to local faith leaders to help us get the
information out to individuals and communities that may be
apprehensive to try to reach out and apply for assistance.
This is a team effort. It takes all of us in this holistic
approach to be able to ensure anyone that was impacted by any
natural disaster has access to the programs that we have, and
that we remove the barriers for them receiving the critical
assistance to start their recovery process.
Ms. Titus. Thank you for that.
GAO consistently reports that you all are drastically
understaffed. We have tried to address that by having people be
able to take time off and go back to their jobs to go and fight
disasters. I think the most recent figure was 35 percent below
what is needed, and we continue to put increasing demands on
the Agency. We point out how they fail to be there in a certain
amount of time, or not enough people on the ground, or not fast
enough. But if you don't have the people and the resources to
do this work, what can you expect?
So, could you talk to us a little bit about how you are
addressing those staffing challenges, and what we might do to
be able to help you?
Ms. Criswell. The number that we report on our daily
operations brief, which has been in the news as of late showing
that we had less than 5 percent of our personnel available, is
one very specific part of our workforce, and that is those that
are solely responsible to deploy to disasters, our disaster
workforce.
We have a layered staff to approaching--to approach--when
we have multiple events or catastrophic events like we
experienced during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We reach out
to our steady state staff, and we deploy them out into the
field. We have our surge capacity force, which can bring in
members from across the Federal Government that can go out into
the field for 30 days. And we had over 800 members from across
the Federal Government that went out into the communities to
support them.
This type of layered staffing approach is what we plan for.
We plan for multiple events like this, but we appreciate tools
like the CREW Act that was passed recently that give us the
flexibility to recruit more people into our reservists, our
intermittent workforce, which are really the heart of what we
do. And that is the workforce that we need to continue to focus
on because we don't need everybody every day. But given the
amount of disasters that we are experiencing, this surge
availability of our intermittent, our reservist workforce is
critical to us being able to do the work.
Ms. Titus. Thank you.
I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentlelady. The Chair now
recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana, Representative Graves.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Administrator, thank you for being here.
I want to make note, Mr. Chairman, we have discussed
Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. We have not discussed
Hurricane Francine.
Administrator, I want to thank you for coming down to
Louisiana for that. But I want to tell you why we are not
talking about that today. We are not talking about that today
because the citizens of Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish, where
that hurricane made landfall, imposed both a sales tax and a
property tax on themselves, have invested nearly $1 billion in
building hurricane protection. We are at an interim phase of
protection. We have built an 11-foot levee. Storm surge for
Hurricane Francine was 11 feet. If that levee had not been
there, if we had not done what we did, we would be having a
very different hearing today.
Administrator, I want to ask you a quick question. There
are rumors, reports that FEMA is having discussions with
Department of the Treasury about using ARP funds, American
Rescue Plan funds, to help out with recovery. Is that accurate?
Ms. Criswell. So, with the National Flood Insurance
Program, at this moment, we are outpacing our payments, over
$800 million in payments from the National Flood Insurance
Program----
Mr. Graves of Louisiana [interrupting]. So, you all are
having discussions about using American Rescue Plan funds for
recovery?
Ms. Criswell. We are not using American Rescue Plan----
Mr. Graves of Louisiana [interrupting]. There are no
discussions about doing that?
Ms. Criswell. Not for FEMA using American Rescue Plan
funds.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Okay, okay, because there were
reports that FEMA was having discussions about----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. No.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana [continuing]. Using those--okay,
thank you for clarifying.
Now something else I would like for you to clarify. There
has been a lot of discussion about FEMA's Emergency Food and
Shelter Program and how it is handled. And I just, number one,
that is a FEMA program. Number two, that is funded with
taxpayer dollars. And so, whenever folks say that, well, no,
no, no, you got to understand, it is a different program. These
are all taxpayer dollars. And what you do is you triage or you
prioritize what is needed, what is most important, and that is
where we need to focus. I mean, do you agree with that?
Ms. Criswell. The Shelter and Services Program is a program
that was directed by Congress for FEMA to administer, yes----
Mr. Graves of Louisiana [interrupting]. Right, and so,
these are all Federal taxpayer dollars. And so, if we need
taxpayer dollars in a higher priority area, it would make sense
to take funds from a lower priority area.
What I am really struggling with is, as I understand--is
that in North Carolina, for example, where I visited, you could
have a flood or disaster victim that can get a check for $750.
Yet when I go through and I look at the programs and resources
that are available to a citizen of a different country that
came illegally into the United States under the FEMA
administered program using nonprofits, you could be eligible
for housing, for food, for transportation, for healthcare
costs, and others.
I was able to come, and looking at the very documents that
these nonprofits were using, I was able to get to a figure in
excess of $10,000 for an individual--let me make note again--as
a citizen of a foreign country. How would I explain to a
taxpayer that a taxpayer, a citizen of the United States, is
eligible for $750, yet a citizen of a foreign country under
your Agency is still eligible for assistance of $10,000? How
would I explain that to somebody?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, the resources that are available
to people impacted by disasters are a variety of resources, and
that $750 payment is just to cover those immediate needs. They
are eligible for $42,500 in fiscal year 2024 for housing
assistance, and $42,500 for other needs assistance. Those are
the programs that are available to people that were impacted by
disasters.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. So, it is very clear that today--
and I just visited North Carolina just a few weeks ago--it is
very clear to me that there are folks that are in need right
now. The disparity that exists in that a citizen of a foreign
country that broke the law and came here illegally is they can
get a plane ticket paid for, they can get a hotel room paid
for--I think 200-and-something bucks a night if I remember
right in some of the areas of maybe around Midland, Texas,
somewhere around there. Again, healthcare, food, clothing. We
have citizens of our own country that I engaged in North
Carolina weeks and weeks after the disaster that have some of
those same needs.
This is ridiculous. It really is. And I understand that all
of these decisions aren't yours. But, Administrator, you
understand the ridiculousness of this situation, that we are
not helping our own citizens yet we are out there using our own
taxpayer dollars when we have a debt right now of $35 trillion
as a Nation, and we are helping out citizens of other countries
when we are not even meeting the fundamental needs of our own
citizens. This really is an unacceptable situation.
And I think if I were in your situation--yes, I understand
you are asking for $100 billion, but I think that we should be
looking and asking for reprogramming opportunities, because we
have got to prioritize the limited resources that our Nation
has and focus upon our own citizens.
I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The gentleman yields. The Chair now recognizes
the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Larsen.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Just to sum up, I heard you say, in the case of North
Carolina and probably in the case of Washington State if
something similar happened, someone would be eligible for up to
$85,000 of aid. Is that what I heard you say, $42,500 plus
$42,500?
Ms. Criswell. Yes, sir, $42,500 for fiscal year 2024. That
went up in fiscal year 2025. But that also does not include the
amount that we pay to support people in hotels, the amount that
we put in to support people in manufactured housing units, or
rent reimbursements. Those do not come out of the $42,500.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. And on the emergency shelter
support program, did FEMA create that program?
Ms. Criswell. That program was directed by Congress.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Congress created that program.
Ms. Criswell. Congress created that program.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. And told you to do it.
Ms. Criswell. And asked me to do it, directed me to do it.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes, they didn't--we don't ask
you to do things.
Ms. Criswell. Yes, you don't.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. We told you to do it. So, it is
really up to Congress to decide----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. Congress directed FEMA to
administer the legacy program of EFSP humanitarian assistance--
--
Mr. Larsen of Washington [interrupting]. All right----
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. And then the establishment----
Mr. Larsen of Washington [interrupting]. I got it. I think
we should just issue a mirror to every Member of Congress who
complains to you about the emergency shelter program, so they
can look at who is responsible for doing anything about it,
which--you are responsible for administering it, but you are
not responsible for creating it.
Ms. Criswell. Correct.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. On the disaster relief, so, it is
a $100 billion request, not $100 million?
Ms. Criswell. $100 billion.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes, with a B.
Ms. Criswell. $40 billion of which is FEMA's request.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. $40 billion which is FEMA's
request. And tell me why FEMA needs that supplemental funding
for the--especially for the Disaster Relief Fund before the end
of the year.
Ms. Criswell. We were given the ability to spend against
the fiscal year 2025 budget with the continuing resolution----
Mr. Larsen of Washington [interposing]. Right.
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. Which was just over $20 billion.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Right.
Ms. Criswell. We went into that with a negative, because we
had paused close to $9 billion in payments through our
Immediate Needs Funding for fiscal year 2024.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Right.
Ms. Criswell. So, the first bills that we paid were those
recovery projects in communities across the United States.
In Hurricane Helene and Milton, those costs are expensive.
And the cost to respond to these two disasters is outpacing all
other disasters in the previous 10 years, except for Hurricane
Maria. And so, that is----
Mr. Larsen of Washington [interrupting]. And I don't want
to diminish the importance of Helene and Milton, but in that $9
billion, some of that money went to places that weren't in the
Southeast or Appalachia because of outstanding disaster
recovery requests. Is that right?
Ms. Criswell. Correct. It was projects--over 3,000 recovery
projects across the United States we were not able to reimburse
while we were in Immediate Needs Funding.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. And so, that was the $20 billion.
And now you are spending the $11 billion, plus that which you
need otherwise because of Helene and Milton and because of the
other outstanding requests that Congress hasn't funded since
October 2023 in the last supplemental disaster request. Is that
right?
Ms. Criswell. We have been very transparent with Congress
about what the health of the DRF is, and anticipated a shortage
going into fiscal year 2024 as well as fiscal year 2025. We
have put forth two supplemental requests in fiscal year 2024,
neither of which were allowed. And so, we find ourselves in a
situation----
Mr. Larsen of Washington [interrupting]. Neither of which
were passed.
Ms. Criswell. Weren't passed, correct.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. Yes, right, yes. No, we are
allowed to pass them. We chose, as a Congress, not to, which
is, again, we should--for some of this, we need to be looking
at ourselves. But a lot of--for some of these things, we need
to be looking at you.
For instance, on Individual Assistance, a universal
application as a for-instance, we want to get Representative
Titus' and Representative Graves' bill passed so there is a
universal application instead of having to fill out several
applications just to get, sort of--it is like trying to fund a
road, you've got to go for five or six different grants to get
a road funded in transportation, rather than just get the one
pot of money to do this. And for someone who is in a situation
where they are trying to find a place to live because of a
disaster, we need to cut down on the time and on the paperwork
that they have to do to get access to this.
So, can you talk a little bit about the need for universal
application?
Ms. Criswell. Yes, the Disaster Survivors Fairness Act, we
really appreciate the efforts that have gone forth with this
because it gives us a lot of flexibilities. It allows us to do
direct repair to homes. But the other piece is about the
universal application. We want to reduce the burden that these
individuals are facing after they have just experienced
probably the worst day in their life. And so, to be able to
make it easier on them is the goal of the universal
application.
Mr. Larsen of Washington. That is great. I want to just
conclude by talking a little bit about the politics of the
situation. And I condemn what this employee did, as well. And
playing politics with disaster aid hurts Americans. It hurts
all of us, especially when they need the Government most. And
so, it is troubling that even the President-elect said he would
deny disaster aid to California if the Governor there doesn't
listen to him. And at an event in September, the President-
elect said that the Governor of California is going to sign
those papers--if he doesn't sign those papers related to
California water policy, he won't get money to put out all the
fires, and we won't give him the money to put out fires, and
then he has got problems. It is not the first time he has done
something like this.
In 2019, the President-elect tweeted, ``Billions of dollars
are being sent to the State of California for forest fires
that, with proper forest management, would never happen. Unless
they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered
FEMA to send no more money.'`
The point I want to make is that it is up to this committee
to responsibly hold anyone accountable who is seeking to
politicize disaster aid, from a crew leader at FEMA to the
President-elect or the President. None of this is acceptable,
and we have a responsibility to hold everyone accountable for
these comments that get in the way of getting disaster aid to
people.
And with that, I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes the Representative from Mississippi, Mr. Ezell.
Mr. Ezell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you, Administrator Criswell, for being here
today. A few months ago, you agreed to consider the flood maps
fully funded by the Mississippi State Legislature and
implemented by the Southern Mississippi Planning and
Development District. I appreciate your commitment, as so many
of my constituents are suffering due to FEMA's outdated,
inaccurate flood maps.
Last month, I hosted a roundtable on this issue, and was
pleased to hear that your staff is working in good faith with
district stakeholders. I will give credit where credit is due.
However, as we have discussed today, the recent reports of one
of your staffers intentionally withholding Federal aid solely
on political preference is beyond unacceptable, and
dramatically increases the political divide in our country.
Unfortunately, we could keep hammering this point. But today I
am not here--I want to focus on something else, some of the
things going on in my district.
One of my goals as a Congressman is to improve the
efficiency of FEMA. During my first term, I have engaged with
region 4 regarding the dozens of projects in my district, from
the gulf coast to the Pine Belt, that have drug out far too
long without a resolution or, in some cases, even without a
clear update. These include projects throughout Biloxi,
Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and Bay St. Louis,
Waveland, and Hattiesburg.
Here is a timeline of events my staff and I have discussed
with your team at region 4.
[Poster displayed.]
Mr. Ezell. Administrator Criswell, this upcoming August
will be a 20-year anniversary for Hurricane Katrina, 20 years.
That is nearly two decades the city of Biloxi is still waiting
on some of their infrastructure projects. How, 20 years later,
are there still unresolved projects from Katrina?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, recovery is very complicated,
and every project has its own unique situation. I am happy to
look into the specific projects that you are most----
Mr. Ezell [interposing]. And thank you----
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. Concerned about.
Mr. Ezell. Thank you for that. As you can see, this is
pretty hard to defend. Twenty years, you know, twenty years is
a long time waiting on to get some infrastructure projects
fixed, which have been funded.
Another answer I hope you can clarify for me today: If an
applicant identifies an error or omission in the original cost
estimate, do you believe FEMA may increase funding for an
improved project, yes or no?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, I would have to understand the
specifics of that to be able to answer it accurately.
Mr. Ezell. If an applicant identifies an error or an
omission in the original cost estimate, do you believe FEMA may
increase funding for an improved project?
Ms. Criswell. Again, Congressman, without understanding the
specifics of that project, I don't have an accurate answer.
Mr. Ezell. Okay, let's move on. I take that as a no.
According to FEMA, this project--and this is in Biloxi and
Waveland--Biloxi, correction. According to FEMA, this project
has not been finished because it was not accurately estimated.
But I have in writing a letter from FEMA right here [indicating
letter] that the most recent CEF in 2019 accurately reflected
the complexity of the project. Can you follow up with this
letter--and we will make sure that you get it--that FEMA has
already confirmed, and direct your staff to fund the project at
the cost accurately reflected?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, I would be happy to follow up on
that specific project.
Mr. Ezell. Thank you very much. I take that as a yes.
The second project that I would like to raise with you
today is the Waveland Mississippi Pier. In October, I learned
that the original reason why this project was not funded was
because the scope of the work had changed. However, the city
has told me the project has not changed since day one of the
disaster. Now I am hearing the original project reflected what
the city says, but your Agency claims it should not have.
So, now we are kind of back to step 1. This stuff just gets
so confusing, our people just don't know which way to go
sometimes. So, what is it going to be? Was the mitigation work
never included to begin with, or did FEMA include this work by
mistake?
Again, confusing. We get one answer from you sometimes, and
we try to go along with it, and things just keep changing until
it gets so confusing until nobody really knows what to do. So,
we got to get this figured out, as we can see how this creates
so much uncertainty and confusing the people who are trying to
navigate through the process, because Waveland has got issues
going on right now.
My staff and I have worked tirelessly to try to work some
of these things out with FEMA. But still, if you look at 20
years for projects from Katrina that have been funded that have
not been completed, and again, I don't want to keep beating the
drum about what one employee said or what may be the policy,
but I truly hope that the lack of funding these projects isn't
due to Mississippi being a red State.
And with that being said, I need a commitment from you
today that you will look into all these projects, that they
will be handled, and that my constituents will get the help
that they need back home.
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, you have my commitment that we
will look into all of those projects, and you have my absolute
determination that we do not discriminate against any State. We
provide support for everyone impacted by disasters.
Mr. Ezell. And we appreciate that. But when you are looking
at 20 years from Katrina, we should not be having this
discussion. So, thank you very much.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes the gentlelady from Washington, DC, Representative
Norton.
Ms. Norton. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Climate change has fueled an alarming rise in the number
and severity of natural disasters. With once-in-a-century
storms becoming a matter of course, it is critical to continue
to invest in our emergency management workforce to respond to
these increasing emergencies and help rebuild affected
communities. Yet the Government Accountability Office found
that in recent years, FEMA has been significantly understaffed.
Administrator Criswell, what actions should Congress take
to train, expand, and retain FEMA's emergency management
workforce?
Ms. Criswell. Congresswoman Norton, our workforce is the
heart and soul of what we do. These are often people that I
have talked to that have been disaster survivors themselves and
have chosen to come work for FEMA because they wanted to be
able to give back like they received assistance when they were
impacted.
We appreciate the passage of the CREW Act that was
instrumental in allowing us the flexibilities to have a more
diverse and expansive workforce through our intermittent
workers of our reservists, giving them the ability to keep a
full-time job, yet deploy when needed to come support people
that have been impacted by disasters.
I encourage you to continue to reach out to your
communities and have them reach out to FEMA. We often hire
local hires in communities who turn into our reservists, our
core employees, or our full-time employees, and we appreciate
Congress' continued support of our workforce, making sure that
they have all of the tools and the resources they need to
continue to do the critical work of helping people before,
during, and after disasters.
Ms. Norton. Thank you. Administrator Criswell, what would
be the impact on communities and disaster survivors if Congress
does not pass the disaster supplemental appropriation bill?
Ms. Criswell. Our current balance within the Disaster
Relief Fund is just under $5 billion. We went into Immediate
Needs Funding earlier this year in August, when we reached a $3
billion mark. We expect, without a supplemental, that we will
have the need to go back into Immediate Needs Funding within
the next few weeks without a supplemental.
What that means is we will continue to support the
lifesaving, life-sustaining work, especially what is going on
in western North Carolina and all of the States impacted by
Hurricanes Helene and Milton. But we have to pause the
reimbursement to communities that are rebuilding. FEMA
reimburses communities as they rebuild and repair their
critical infrastructure. Many of these small, rural communities
often can't move on to the next project until they get
reimbursed from the one that they are waiting for, and so, this
has a significant impact on a community's ability to have an
effective recovery when they don't have the cash flow because
they are waiting for the Federal Government to reimburse them
for what they are eligible for under the disaster declaration.
Ms. Norton. I commend you and FEMA's thousands of staff
from across the country who left their homes to deploy to
communities in need and provide them with assistance in the
face of destruction, trauma, and loss.
And I urge the House to bring a disaster supplemental
appropriations bill to the floor immediately. And I yield back,
Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentlelady. The Chair now
recognizes the Representative from Utah, Representative Maloy.
Ms. Maloy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Administrator Criswell, I have been sitting here listening
to some of my colleagues talk about how FEMA is battling
underfunding and understaffing and misinformation, and I just
want it noted that I think the willingness of the public to
believe information is a symptom of distrust of Federal
agencies. And being here and answering questions and addressing
these problems is probably the best thing we can do to battle
misinformation. If FEMA employees are making political
decisions that they shouldn't make and being fired for it, and
we are talking about it here, I think that will help.
And then as far as funding and staffing issues, they have
got to be at least partly caused by deploying FEMA to non-
Stafford Act events. And as a member of the legislative branch,
I have a responsibility, as a member of this committee, to
exercise oversight of FEMA. And one of the things that we have
to look into is whether FEMA is understaffed and underfunded,
or if they are outside of their mission. I think it is
critical, as a Member of Congress, that we hold agencies
accountable to be doing the things they are authorized by
Congress and only the things they are authorized to do by
Congress.
So, with those observations, I am going to yield the
remainder of my time to Mr. Graves to continue his line of
questioning from earlier.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you very much, Ms. Maloy. I
appreciate it.
Administrator, I want to get something clear here. I mean,
I understand you are saying that there is $42,500 in programs
that are available. Let me say it again. There is still $10,000
and maybe even more available for citizens that have come here
illegally from other countries that are not citizens of the
United States. So, I don't think that we reconcile by saying
that, oh, yes, but they could potentially be eligible for this
much. There still is $10,000 or more that we are potentially
giving to people that broke the law, that are citizens of other
countries that came to the United States illegally.
I understand what Mr. Larsen said, Ranking Member Larsen
said. But the reality is, you are the Administrator of this
Agency. You are the one who prepares the budget request and
asks for these funds, and you are the one who is sitting here
now saying we need $100 billion more.
I think it is appropriate in this case to reprioritize
funds and say this isn't an appropriate use of taxpayer funds
under the fact that we are facing a $35 trillion debt.
One of the other issues, the inspector general report came
out just in August and said in excess of $70 billion in
unliquidated assets, unliquidated obligations dating back to
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are still out there and aren't being
used. Why can't those funds be tapped and get the resources out
to the people that need them right now?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, again, the Shelter and Services
Program was directed by Congress for FEMA to administer. The
funding for that program was given to CBP and directed by
Congress to be transferred to FEMA to administer that program,
and we are administering it in accordance with the law at the
direction of Congress.
As far as the programs and the funds that you are talking
about as it relates to unobligated projects dating back to
Hurricane Katrina, we consistently review all of the projects
that are out there. Projects are obligated at what they expect
the cost to be, and we are always reviewing to see which funds
are no longer going to be needed because the estimates came in
lower, and bringing those back in. We provide this in detail to
Congress on a monthly basis on what those recoupments are.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Thank you, Administrator. Look,
the last thing I want to say is that I am very concerned about
this prejudice about the Trump signs. I have seen other
policies coming out of FEMA that I believe also are prejudiced.
You and I have had discussions about some of those, and I look
forward to getting to the bottom of this.
I yield the remaining time to the chair.
Mr. Perry. Did you--who do you--who did you yield to? Okay.
Ms. Maloy. I will take the remainder of my time----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. All right, thank you.
Ms. Maloy [continuing]. And yield it to the chairman.
Mr. Perry. Administrator, just a followup on my friend from
Louisiana here. Look, you are an American citizen. Shelter and
Services Program, we get it, we agree. Look, not something I
would vote for, but it happened, and you have the job of
administering it. But you are an American citizen. You see
illegal foreign nationals receiving money to the tune of
billions of dollars in this administration alone, while your
own citizens in your own country dealing with an Agency for
which you work, and are being criticized right now because they
are not getting the money--have you requested a reprogramming
of this money?
I understand it has been thrown in your lap, I get it, not
something I agreed with, but it is in your lap. But you see it.
Have you requested a reprogramming of the money?
Ms. Criswell. This is funding, Chairman, that we were
directed to administer by Congress. We are administering it at
the direction of Congress.
Mr. Perry. And you have no interest in reprogramming it.
Ms. Criswell. This is funding that was directed to us to
administer----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. I understand, but you are a
citizen, too. You are working here. So, do you see this as a
misalignment of priorities when you are asking for more money--
maybe rightly so--asking for more personnel, knowing that
millions, hundreds of millions, billions of dollars sent to
people here illegally while people, the citizens of this
country for which the administration and the organization that
you work is supposed to be there for them, aren't receiving
that money. Do you have any interest in requesting a
reprogramming of that funding?
Ms. Criswell. This is funding that was given to CBP and
directed by Congress to transfer to FEMA to administer the
Shelter and Services----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. Yes, ma'am. I understand that,
and I guess I get your answer.
I would just say this in support of this organization
called the Cajun Navy. People are frustrated and upset with
FEMA's response. Maybe rightly so, maybe not rightly so. But it
seems to me that this nonprofit known as the Cajun Navy can get
in the game immediately, make changes on the fly that impact
people's lives. They don't have to go through a bunch of
redtape and cry ``We don't have people, we don't have money.'`
They get people and equipment to the site on time and make a
difference. And quite honestly, that is what FEMA should be
doing.
So, maybe FEMA should go talk to the Cajun Navy and say,
``Why can't we do what you are doing? What have we got to
change here to do that?'`
And with that, I yield, and I now recognize the gentleman
from California, Representative Garamendi.
Mr. Garamendi. No, Mr. Chairman, I am not going to take the
bait. I think she identified the problem, however. It is us. If
you have a problem with what the CBP is doing in transferring
their responsibility to FEMA, well, why don't you write the
bill?
Now, let me move on to what I really want to get to here.
Yes, there is a shortfall of funding. I think it has been
discussed multiple times here. In that funding program, or the
shortfall, there is a question about unpaid obligations. We
have heard about 20 years ago with Katrina, but there are some
that are much more recent, specifically the COVID response in
2021, 2022. There was a Federal program authorized in the
American Rescue Plan that hospitals and other agencies were
directed to provide services, and FEMA programs would reimburse
them. You have made good effort on reimbursing them as far as
the money would go. Still, about 40 percent of the money--
specifically to hospitals--in California and other States have
yet to be paid in the supplemental that you are requesting.
Do you intend to use some of that supplemental money to pay
for those obligations that were incurred by public agencies--
hospitals, specifically--so that they would be reimbursed? You
are at 60 percent. There is another 40 percent to go.
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, part of our supplemental request
does include the anticipated cost to reimburse jurisdictions,
hospitals, and other eligible entities for the costs that they
incurred through COVID-19.
For the hospitals specifically, we are undergoing an
extensive review with a third party to make sure that we are
not duplicating funding that they already received. We feel
that this is an important step to ensure that we are using the
taxpayer dollars to support the actual needs, and not
duplicating payments that they may have received from other
sources or from insurance, et cetera. And so, both of those
will work in unison.
As we continue to review the submissions from hospitals, we
validate that the costs have not been paid by another source.
This supplemental request will include then reimbursing those
jurisdictions, those hospitals, those entities for those costs.
Mr. Garamendi. I really like your ``yes, but'' answer.
Normally we don't like the ``but'` part, but I am pleased to
hear that FEMA is auditing and also very carefully looking into
these payments. I am confident that you won't find a problem in
California. I say that with certainty. However, nonetheless, it
is important that you do the audits and that you make sure
that--and it applies to other programs also, some of those that
may date back 20 years or more. So, thank you for doing that.
I will note that the California Hospital Association
believes that there is $1.3 billion that would be appropriately
owed to California. However, check to be sure.
Moving on, there are other issues that are also in play,
some of which are really important in small communities. And I
want to thank you for a change that you have made in your
policies of prior funding for very small projects for across
mostly small communities, some urban, some rural. I believe it
is at a $1 million level. That might have enough money to get a
large culvert repaired. I would ask you to take a look at that,
and probably better to add a zero.
And once again, the ``but'` part of your answer, really
important here. So, if you are going to put money out ahead of
the normal process of reimbursement, good. It is necessary,
the--many small communities, counties, cities simply cannot
front the money for 3, 4 years before they get reimbursed.
However, $1 million is a good step. Add a zero and you are
probably at a level that would allow those communities to get
their projects underway.
I want to thank you for your courage. I want to thank you
for your standing tall and honest about the incredible pressure
that you have received from the two recent hurricanes and from
those other disasters that have been declared. You have an
incredibly difficult job, and you are leading in a way that is
exemplary.
With that, I yield back.
Oh, by the way, I got 11 seconds. Mr. Chairman, if we've
got a problem with illegals getting money, I look forward to
your bill.
Mr. Perry. You might see it there, Mr. Garamendi.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana to make a
request.
Mr. Graves of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous
consent to include in the record a November 18 letter from
United Cajun Navy official Brian Trascher that includes
observations from Todd Terrell, Sara Galliano, and others
related to Hurricane Milton and----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. Without objection, so ordered.
[The information follows:]
Letter of November 18, 2024, to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, and Hon. Scott Perry, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency
Management, from Brian Trascher, National Vice President and Public
Information Officer, United Cajun Navy, Submitted for the Record by
Hon. Garret Graves
United Cajun Navy,
2053 West Magna Carta Place,
Baton Rouge, LA 70815,
844-4UCNavy,
www.unitedcajunnavy.org,
November 18, 2024.
Hon. Chairman Sam Graves (MO),
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Hon. Chairman Scott Perry (PA),
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency
Management,
United States House of Representatives.
Dear Chairman Perry:
My name is Brian Trascher, and I am the National Vice President and
Public Information Officer for the United Cajun Navy. We are a 501c3
Nonprofit disaster response and relief organization based in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and we have more than a dozen state chapters. As
Hurricane Helene approached the coast of Florida's ``big bend'' on
September 27th, 2024 I was actually inside of the National Response
Coordination Center at FEMA headquarters in Washington DC. This was by
invitation and had been scheduled a couple of months prior to the
visit. Coincidentally, our meetings and tour of FEMA headquarters took
place on the same day that the NRCC was put on a Level 1 activation due
to the impending Hurricane Helene. We were invited to sit in the main
conference room as FEMA leadership participated in video meetings with
regional offices, appointed and elected officials who were all
coordinating the National Response to what was expected to be a
catastrophic weather event.
Our President and Founder, Todd Terrell, flew back to Baton Rouge
that evening so that he could ensure that supplies were being loaded
onto trucks from our warehouse and ready to preposition in Florida. I
stayed behind in DC with our Executive Director Sara Galliano to finish
out our meeting schedule she had arranged with the Red Cross and
Pentagon, then I flew back to Louisiana on September 28th.
We had prepositioned supply trucks and SAR teams in the Florida
Panhandle to more efficiently mobilize into affected areas when the
weather conditions became safe. Prior to Helene making landfall, the
United Cajun Navy's chief meteorologist Jeff George warned Todd and I
of his concern about the forward speed of the storm. He explained that
by moving so fast, the high intensity center would not degrade quickly
enough before reaching inland to the mountainous areas of Eastern
Tennessee, Eastern Georgia, and Western North Carolina. He suggested
that the rainfall amounts could cause massive mudslides and
catastrophic flooding in those communities who were not likely
expecting this type of weather event.
After watching this prediction unfold, and getting reports from
team members within our Georgia chapter, we quickly realized that the
greatest need was going to actually be in these mountainous regions
well north of the Florida Coast. On September 29th, we redirected
approximately half of our fleet of supply trucks northward to Eastern
Georgia. We also received reports that traditional interstate routes
going into parts of Tennessee and North Carolina were potentially
washed out and impassable by vehicles. Todd ordered me to fly to North
Carolina to get a sitrep from the ground since communications were very
spotty. I arrived in Hickory, North Carolina on October 1st and took a
reconnaissance flight via helicopter into the mountains where I was
able to survey the towns surrounding Asheville, North Carolina. When I
made a fuel stop in Asheville, I did run into some FEMA executives who
were already on the ground. They were coordinating the arrival of more
of their own associates as well as planning missions with the National
Guard. We can testify to the fact that FEMA was on the ground early,
however there are many reasons that will no doubt be investigated as to
why the execution of the response was largely viewed by the public as
delayed at best. Some of the meetings we had participated in at FEMA
headquarters the week before had to do with FEMA's desire to work with
NGOs such as the United Cajun Navy to coordinate first response as FEMA
is not technically a first responder. There are many regulations and
parts of the Stafford Act that will need to be examined so that these
relationships can be solidified and better coordinated in the future.
We hope that whoever leads FEMA in the next administration will
continue these efforts to work with groups like ours.
During my initial aerial surveillance, I was immediately able to
surmise that our traditional method of swift water rescue was not going
to be the appropriate response for this mission. We put out a call to
our network for fixed and rotary wing aircraft pilots to deploy to the
region as soon as possible. One of the first chopper pilots to contact
me was a volunteer named Ezra Rickards from Delaware, who flew his long
range Bel helicopter all the way down to North Carolina at his own
expense. Ezra performed over 80 rescue missions with his aircraft alone
and was the first aircraft to make a supply drop for the United Cajun
Navy in Black Mountain in those first days. Our Georgia chapter
president, Shannon Ross, coordinated a fleet of approximately 45
private fixed wing aircraft out of an airport in Peachtree, Georgia
where the United Cajun Navy had delivered supplies and provided fuel
for these aircraft to fly into Western North Carolina airfields. We
then expanded the role of our helicopter vendor, Total Flight
Solutions, out of Davidson County North Carolina. TFS was able to reach
beyond their own fleet and coordinate approximately 50 total rotary
aircraft that flew non-stop missions of supplies into the mountains and
evacuating people out of the mountains. This air operation went on from
dusk till dawn for at least 7 days. In addition to the United Cajun
Navy, other NGOs such as Operation AirDrop, Operation Helo, and Mercury
One were coordinating air operations in much of the same manner for
roughly the same period and beyond. Congressman Cory Mills of Florida
personally participated in airlift and heavy lift rescue operations for
several days or a week, he can confirm that precise duration.
It's hard to estimate how many pounds of supplies were brought in
to the affected areas and how many people were evacuated out, but
between the joint operations of United Cajun Navy and our partner NGOs
It's safe to say that hundreds of thousands of pounds of emergency
supplies and hundreds of the flood victims were evacuated out of those
towns. Some of our partner agencies may have more accurate numbers in
this regard.
Since it took a while for routes to open for our semi-trucks, part
of my job became to identify regional airports that were open and could
handle airdrop supplies as the Hickory airport was starting to exceed
capacity. On October 4th I came upon the regional airport in Stanley
County, North Carolina and I noticed there were a lot of National Guard
troops in uniform at this location. It turns out that Stanley County is
home to the 235th ATC Squadron and the 118th ASOS Squadron of the NC
Air Guard. These are two air guard units whom one specializes in air
traffic control and landing zones, while the other specializes and
aerial surveillance and SAR. These are skills that were crucially
necessary to the ongoing rescue ops in Western North Carolina. The
reason why there wasn't much activity at that location was because
neither squadron had been activated yet. Imagine my incredulity of
learning this information after UCN and many other small nonprofits and
volunteers had spent days risking life and limb to save strangers while
these two native North Carolinian expert squadrons sat idle and
frustrated by their lack of orders to go in and help. The 235th and
118th were eventually activated, but not until at least 6 days after
Helene made landfall in North Carolina.
As we canvased the affected areas in the mountain towns surrounding
Asheville, the United Cajun Navy was able to make local contacts and
partner on staging sites with landing zone capabilities. We first set
up at Excel College in Black Mountain, where the Director and many of
the students of that school volunteered sorting and making supply runs
to victims in the community. Excel is still participating in relief
operations to this day. We also coordinated with a gentleman named Adam
Smith, a retired special forces soldier who was able to set up a supply
drop and staging area with the landing zone at the Harley-Davidson
dealership in Swannanoa.
The typical UCN deployment to a disaster area usually ranges from 7
to 14 days, because by that time the locals are up to speed and we're
able to pass the baton to the long-term recovery groups. Since Western
North Carolina has, in our opinion, been so badly neglected and the
damage is so vast, we have made an exception and have joined the long-
term recovery group and will participate for as long as we have the
resources to support the mission. We've made many partnerships with
local, national, and international nonprofits who are committed to the
long-term recovery for Helene victims. UCN has secured warehouse space
as well as land where we have been able to place camper and RV
donations dedicated to housing displaced families. Winter has arrived
in Western North Carolina and far too many of our fellow Americans are
still sleeping in tents without electricity or potable water. We're
doing everything within our power to help these people, but we can only
operate within our means, and we can't help but wonder when the cavalry
will finally arrive for them.
Many people ask us why we do what we do. The answer is simple, this
happened to us, and we know the path forward. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina
caused the levees surrounding New Orleans to fail and the city rapidly
flooded forcing many unsuspecting residents out of their homes and
neighborhoods, and unfortunately drowned an untold number of innocent
people. The world watched as Good Samaritans came in their own boats at
their own expense to rescue their fellow Louisianians from the
floodwaters. Our Founder Todd Terrell was part of the original 68
vessels informally deputized by Lt. General Russell Honore, then
Commander of Joint Task Force Katrina. And thus, the ``Cajun Navy'' was
born. It's been 19 years, and the federal government still doesn't seem
to understand the concept of a rapid response to a natural disaster.
Again, we do this because it happened to us, and we don't want to see
it happen again to any of our fellow Americans. The federal response in
Western North Carolina has brought back many bad memories for us, but
being able to respond quickly, save lives, and give hope to our new
Appalachian friends has helped to heal some old wounds. But that
doesn't change the fact that in the richest country on earth, we should
have a better coordinated response between government agencies and
experienced NGOs like the United Cajun Navy and others to make sure
that the loss of life is minimal after the next major weather event. We
like to say that we are the ``First Shrimp Boots on the Ground, From
Landfall to Light''. Western North Carolina, Eastern Georgia, and
Eastern Tennessee are still waiting for the light. We thank all members
of Congress for their service and commitment to finding the answers
we're all seeking. We stand ready to continue serving in our own
capacities as well as field any questions Members may have. Thank you
for the opportunity to testify.
Respectfully submitted,
Brian Trascher,
National Vice President and Public Information Officer, United
Cajun Navy.
Mr. Perry. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New
York, Representative Molinaro.
Mr. Molinaro. Thank you, Mr. Perry, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you, Administrator.
I want to just take issue with--this could be my last 5
minutes on this committee, so, I am going to take all 4 minutes
and 10 seconds. My colleague across the aisle, with all due
respect, offered what is by far the easiest and most
disingenuous argument.
You administer the one department in domestic policy that
has to triage and to set priorities, your department. And in
the case of a declared emergency, either as it affords itself
under the Stafford Act or by some extension by the President or
your own determination, you are empowered and your department
is empowered to decide what of the programs you are running
today should take precedent or priority over the others.
Yes, sure, we can pass a law that limits the Shelter and
Services funding that stops dollars getting to illegal
immigrants, but you have to make that decision every day. It is
the only department in the Federal Government that empowers you
to do so.
My colleague, Mr. Graves, said earlier that you have to
agree that it is absurd for Americans in the South, having now
faced what is, by far, among the worst emergencies to befall
our country, that they see those who were placed here, illegal
immigrants placed here by their Federal Government, they see
the not-for-profits you engage with handing out ease-of-access
dollars while they have to struggle to get first the $750.
I administered emergency response for 20 years at the
county level. Believe me, there is a lot of improvements and
coordination that FEMA must engage in. But do you see the
absurdity? Because I haven't heard an answer that suggests it.
Do you see the absurdity that American citizens are getting
their $750 and then, yes, struggling through a very complicated
process to meet the thresholds necessary to get the aid they
need to have housing, food, and shelter, while your Agency is
contracting with not-for-profits to easily hand out access to
those who are here, placed here illegally? Do you see the
absurdity?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, our mission is to support
people, help people before, during, and after disasters, and
I----
Mr. Molinaro [interrupting]. Do you think that there is----
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. [Inaudible] priority decisions--
--
Mr. Molinaro [interrupting]. Ma'am, do you think that--do
you think, in responding to an emergency, the priority of
Government ought to be to ensure that American citizens are
triaged, and that the services of FEMA are focused on
responding to them and their service programs first?
Ms. Criswell. I absolutely believe that the services that
FEMA provides should be supporting the people that have been
impacted by disasters.
Mr. Molinaro. Should there be equity in that distribution
and response? Should there be fairness in that response?
Ms. Criswell. We should make sure that all people have
access to our programs, and that we----
Mr. Molinaro [interposing]. Fair enough.
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. Remove the barrier----
Mr. Molinaro [interrupting]. So, this is my time, and I get
4 minutes--2 minutes to do it.
So, in fairness, do you not see the inequity in those
placed here illegally having taxpayer support, a plane ticket,
a house, a hotel, food, cell phones, access to healthcare--do
you not see the inequity that they have access immediately?
I want us to be a welcoming Nation, but if we cannot
respond to those who are living in emergencies, then we do not
have the right to claim that we are the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. Do you not see the inequity?
Ms. Criswell. Congress directed----
Mr. Molinaro [interrupting]. No, Congress established law.
You have to prioritize, triage, and decide. During COVID, there
were Federal agencies and local governments who were
responsible for providing lots of services. We said in this
emergency, you are not going to do that. We told Federal
employees, ``Get back out onto the ground, because you have got
to respond to a public health pandemic,'` and most of them were
never involved in public health response.
You established the priority. Why can you not say today
that the priority ought to have been to make sure that American
citizens were getting first response, adequate response, and
not distracted response? Why can you not say that?
Ms. Criswell. Our priority is the American people, and we
administered our disaster programs----
Mr. Molinaro [interrupting]. And you will not admit to or
acknowledge the inequities. I am not trying to be combative.
This is absurd. Today, you spent some time and my colleagues
talked about misinformation, first, misinformation is freedom
of speech, whether it is true or not. But you know what fuels
misinformation? The inequity that FEMA has engaged in, because
it allows for people to assume, whether true or not, a level of
either incompetence, inefficiency, or lack of concern for those
who are struggling the most when they see individuals entering
this country illegally and then are transported here and
receiving services.
And you know that it is easier to access the Shelter and
Services funding than it is to access disaster relief aid,
housing assistance, small business aid. You know that it is
more complicated. Doesn't that, in and of itself, fuel the
misinformation?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, we are administering that
program, as directed by Congress.
Mr. Molinaro. You are not administering the program as
directed by Congress. We established the law, we established
the provisions, and we expect the person, whether it is the
President or the Administrator of FEMA, to decide what is and
is not priority in response to emergency. And by that very
measure, with all due respect, the Agency has failed.
Ms. Criswell. Congressman----
Mr. Molinaro [interrupting]. And it has lost focus.
My time is up. I yield back to the chairman.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes the gentlelady from Oregon, Representative Hoyle.
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you
for being here today.
A few things. We have a lot of fires, ice storms, floods
that have gotten more and more severe. This year, we have had
1.9 million acres of land that was burnt with fires, and that
is over twice the 10-year average.
But as things are getting hotter and drier, and climate is
getting more extreme, some of my colleagues want to argue about
why, but what I want to say is the fact of the matter is FEMA
is set up for when natural disasters happen every once in a
while, maybe every 6 months. And so, you have a lot of
temporary Stafford Act employees. Is it true that four-fifths
of your employees are in that temporary Stafford Act category?
Ms. Criswell. Ma'am, can you repeat the number that you
said?
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon. Four-fifths. My understanding is
20,000 out of your 25,000 employees are in that, is that----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. I believe that would be high.
I believe about half of our workforce, maybe a little bit more
than half, are direct employees out of the Disaster Relief Fund
and support disasters directly. The rest support our steady
state missions.
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon. Okay. So, half of your employees. And
the fact is this has become a full-time job.
I represent a lot of rural communities. I have never seen a
difference between how FEMA treats my rural, conservative areas
and my more blue areas. And it seems like you had an employee
that acted inappropriately, unethically, in an untrustworthy
manner, and then lied about who--apparently, according to the
facts that we know so far--lied about who was responsible for
that, right?
Ms. Criswell. We had a single employee that took actions
that were unacceptable by directing her team to avoid homes.
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon. Right. I just think that if you have
an employee that acts in an unethical manner, it follows that
maybe they are not telling the truth. But again, I have never
seen any difference.
And I am going to go on to a different subject, because I
do represent Oregon. We had 23 fires in mid-July at the same
time, earlier than we had ever had fires, 23 incident command
centers. Just following a massive ice storm, we had floods. We
have our range land, our ranchers, our farms that were burnt.
Now, we have a mix of Federal and State and private land,
and our Governor has asked for President Biden to approve a
major disaster declaration for wildfire and storm damage
between July 10 and September 7. Our requests include Public
Assistance for our six frontier counties--Gilliam, Grant,
Jefferson, Umatilla, Wasco, and Wheeler; Hazard Mitigation
Grant Programs to support projects that reduce the impact of
future disasters; and a State cost-sharing waiver waiving the
State's costs for emergency work in response to this disaster.
This has been the most expensive fire season ever.
And what it seems like is FEMA is looking at each of these
fires individually, when really what we would like to see is
for all of these to be taken together, because that is how we
had to manage it. So, when can this--and if you have to get
back to me, I understand because this isn't a committee hearing
on this--but when can the State reasonably expect a response to
the disaster declaration request? We have our farmers and
ranchers that are really, really struggling, have lost
everything, and they really need this help.
Ms. Criswell. Congresswoman, we did receive that request
from the Governor, I believe, on October 21, and I recognize
and know how important this is to you. I will certainly go back
and follow up with my team to see where it is at in the
process, and we will get back with your staff.
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon. Okay. And then the disaster
declaration process often feels slow to affected communities
and--we have had this--again, blue and red districts. And I do
think that your Agency has a giant job and doesn't necessarily
always have the resources to do it. How can FEMA streamline the
steps between the Agency receiving a disaster declaration
request and submitting a recommendation to the President?
Ms. Criswell. The biggest thing that we see is really at
the capacity of the State and local level, and whether or not
they have the resources to be able to quickly and effectively
determine the amount of damage and submit that paperwork. We
have been increasing our support by putting what we call FEMA
integration team members and embedding staff right with State
offices so they can assist with that process. We have 10
regions and a regional administrator over each of them that
have great relationships with the State directors and work very
closely with them to help them understand what the steps are,
where they need to go, and to work through and provide
technical assistance as needed.
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon. We are over time. What I will say is
these are cash-strapped----
Ms. Criswell [interposing]. Yes.
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon [continuing]. Rural counties that lost
a lot of their economic engine when the timber industry
crashed. And so, they are doing the best they can. But what I
would say is we really need to figure out how to get these
answers quicker. And thank you for your response.
Ms. Criswell. I am happy to work with you on that.
Mr. Perry. The gentlelady yields. The Chair now recognizes
Representative Stauber.
Mr. Stauber. Thank you very much.
Administrator, thanks for being here today. And also,
thanks for your service in the Colorado National Guard, I
appreciate that. I also appreciate your willingness to tell
us--and you have been in several committee hearings--to talk
about how you let that employee go who weaponized the Federal
Government. The Federal Government has been weaponized against
the American people. This is case in point. I think you did
your job, and I think you did it well. You terminated that
employee who weaponized the Federal Government as quickly as
you can. And I think we need to do more of that.
With that being said, your mission statement is helping
people before, during, and after disasters. When you were in
the Colorado National Guard, did you have annual reviews?
Ms. Criswell. Did I have a what?
Mr. Stauber. Annual reviews.
Ms. Criswell. I was a traditional Guard member, I wouldn't
have had----
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. Well, you would still have
annual reviews, okay? Outstanding, meets standards, and does
not meet standards. Would that be fair enough?
Ms. Criswell. As I recall.
Mr. Stauber. Okay. So, if you were in the Colorado National
Guard, and you were in charge of disasters in Colorado, and the
TAG said you are responsible, and there was a major disaster
that the National Guard had to be brought out in Colorado, and
it took 3 days for you to deploy and 5 days to even get into
some neighborhoods, would the TAG say that is acceptable for
you, as the leader of the management team, emergency management
team?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, FEMA was on the ground before
the disaster happened.
Mr. Stauber. So, let me--we had two Members of Congress
that represent 778,000 people, stood here or sat here just
within the hour and said there were people that didn't even get
responded to for 3 days, and some in a week. So, that
contradicts what you just said, okay? I am asking you, if you
were in Colorado, what would the TAG do to you if you didn't
respond for 3 days to the citizens of Colorado in a disaster?
Ms. Criswell. Well, Congressman----
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. What would the--would he be
upset with you, or would she or he be upset with you?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, our teams were on the ground
before the disaster happens.
Mr. Stauber. Ma'am, with all due respect, I am not asking--
--
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. Our search and rescue teams--
--
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. Ma'am, I am not asking that
question. I am not asking that question. I asked you, would the
TAG be disappointed in you if it took you 3 days to help the
citizens of Colorado or some neighborhood----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. I think the Adjutant General
of Colorado----
Mr. Stauber [continuing]. Would he be----
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. Would be impressed with the way
FEMA responded to this disaster.
Mr. Stauber. Ma'am, I am trying to help you here. I
understand you have a tough job. I want you to be able to tell
the American people that we could have done better. And as a
traditional guardsman, I totally respect your service. And I
expect honesty. And you should expect honesty from my
questioning.
I asked you, would the TAG be upset with you if you didn't
send your people into a disaster in Colorado for 3 days--3
days--and sometimes some neighborhoods didn't get it for 5,
would the TAG be upset with you?
Ms. Criswell. Well, that information is inaccurate, and I
would hope he would look for accurate information.
Mr. Stauber. Ma'am, do you--how would you score yourself in
this response to Helene?
Ms. Criswell. I think that there is always room----
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. Would you score yourself
outstanding? Would you score yourself outstanding, meets
standards, or does not meet standards?
Ms. Criswell. I am incredibly proud of the work that the
22,000 members of this workforce have done to support the
American people----
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. So, we had----
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. Across six States impacted by
one of the most----
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. Administrator?
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. Catastrophic events in recent
years.
Mr. Stauber. Administrator, we had two Members of Congress
that would challenge you on that statement. The American
citizens needed you at the time. They needed you, and they are
still needing you. For 3 days. I mean, we had a major disaster
in Minnesota. We had a Governor for 3 days that watched
Minneapolis burn. That is unacceptable, simply unacceptable.
And I would just hope that as we go forward--I don't want to
politicize this. I mean, we--there is enough. But your
response--you are the leader, the buck stops with you. From
what--the testimony I heard here from the Representatives of
the people, it was disappointing. Do you think you could have
done better?
Ms. Criswell. I encourage you, Congressman, to read my
written testimony, which describes in detail how we were on the
ground before the disaster happened.
Mr. Stauber. Do you think----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. And I respect the testimony of
the two panel Members earlier----
Mr. Stauber [continuing]. Do you think you could have done
better?
Ms. Criswell. We can always improve, and we will review
all----
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. Is that a yes?
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. Of our response efforts.
Mr. Stauber. Is that a yes?
Ms. Criswell. Nobody is perfect, Congressman. We can always
improve, and we strive to always improve on the----
Mr. Stauber [interrupting]. Do you think you could have
done better, though? Yes?
Ms. Criswell. We can always do better.
Mr. Stauber. Okay. Listen, I want to thank you for your
service. It is not easy. But when we come and ask you
questions, we just expect--this is a dialogue. You represent
us, the people. And if it happens in Minnesota, I would expect
you to be there as quickly as I can. And I would say that from
the statements of the two Representatives, both a Democrat and
a Republican, you could have done much better in the response.
And I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The gentleman yields. The gentleman from South
Dakota, Representative Johnson, is recognized.
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota. So, under the heading of ways
that we can all improve, I want to look at ways that the
current legislative regime, I don't think, provides enough
flexibility to States. I will tell you what I mean.
So, now, when a President declares a Federal disaster, in
those affected areas, Governors can have the flexibility to
increase the weight limits on interstates. Makes sense, makes
the delivery of recovery and disaster supplies a lot more
efficient.
I think we have heard two things from you today,
Administrator, with your colloquies with some of my colleagues.
Number one, as you said to Mr. Ezell, recovery is complicated
and it can take a long time. We all know that is true. And
number two, disaster supplies can get pulled in from a large
geographic area.
So, here, I think, are the weaknesses in the current
legislative regime, and you will tell me where my assumptions
are wrong. So, first off, recovery can take a long time. Right
now when the President issues this disaster declaration, I
think Governors are only given the flexibility to increase
those weight limits for 120 days. Clearly, recovery can take a
lot longer than that. Number two, disaster supplies get pulled
from a large geographic area. If you are a Governor in a State
where the disaster supplies originate--so, you are not in the
area that has been impacted directly by the disaster, but you
have got supplies that can help those folks a couple of States
away--you don't have the flexibility to increase the weight
limits on the interstates within your State.
So, the MOVE Act, which is a bipartisan effort in this
committee--Mr. Costa and myself--would provide flexibility in
both those areas by moving the amount of time that Governors
can have that flexibility from 120 days to 270 days; and then--
again, large impacted area--allows Governors to waive those
weight limits if they are in an area where the supplies
originate.
So, Madam Administrator, the MOVE Act, does that sound like
that would increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of
disaster response?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, I know that, as I have worked
many disasters across the United States, we are often reaching
out to the Department of Transportation to help waive some of
the limitations to move supplies across. And so, I think
anything that makes it easier to move resources in support of
immediate response efforts would be welcomed.
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota. Anything else you can think of
in the transportation logistics supply chain space that would
make it easier for us to get supplies to the people who need
them?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, I think the biggest thing that
we have and the biggest resource we have is the Emergency
Management Assistance Compact, which allows Governors to
request resources from other States, which then, if a Federal
disaster declaration is declared, those costs are all
reimbursed through the disaster declaration. Those types of
resources and tools to be able to share resources across States
are the things that actually make a big difference in the speed
and the delivery of Governors being able to support their
communities that were impacted.
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota. Yes, I do think those aspects,
as well as passage of the MOVE Act, would help with recovery
efforts.
We have talked a little bit about this terrible employee,
this crew leader that you had, ma'am. Obviously, you have
weathered a lot of questions about that. I think you have been
upfront that this was a bad employee who was terminated from
her job. Is there a culture problem within FEMA? I mean, is
this a one-off, or are there other employees who would, as Mr.
Stauber said, would be interested in weaponizing Government
against citizens?
Ms. Criswell. The actions of this employee are
unacceptable, and it is not indicative of the culture of FEMA,
and I do not believe that there is a widespread cultural
problem. I have directed ongoing investigations, working with
the IG, working with the Office of the Special Counsel. And if
we find any other acts of similar behavior, we will take
appropriate disciplinary measures.
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota. So, what should Congress, what
should this committee look for? I mean, we want to take you at
your word. We want to believe that we don't have a culture
problem within FEMA. What should we be looking for over the
course of the next 3 months to validate your assertions?
Ms. Criswell. I think that you should look at the results
that we come out with from ongoing investigations and the
amount of assistance that we continue to provide in communities
and the support during their recovery process. We will be with
them throughout their recovery, helping them rebuild, and
rebuild in a way that is going to make them more resilient
against future disasters.
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota. Would an investigation from an
inspector general or an ombudsman or some other third party
help increase the confidence of this committee that your
assertions are accurate?
Ms. Criswell. We are currently in conversations with the
IG, and I would welcome an inspection from the IG. And as I
stated to Chairman Perry earlier, I will personally request
that investigation from the IG.
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota. Very good. Thank you.
I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes Representative Webster from Florida.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This
question is on behalf of Lake County, one of the four counties
I represent in Florida.
It is critical for communities to know what is and what is
not eligible for FEMA reimbursement so they can plan, they can
plan accordingly for a natural disaster. Counties may have in
place, sort of, a debris removal contract in advance of the
disaster so the debris removal can move quickly and follow up
from the storm. However, depending on the circumstances, actual
cost may exceed the contract. Unfortunately, my office has not
been able to get a clear answer from FEMA on whether or not the
increase is reimbursable.
And I just ask the Administrator, are those costs
reimbursable, or are the communities only reimbursed at the
amount that they had in a pre-existing contract?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, I would need to understand the
specifics of what they are asking for, and I am happy to follow
up with you and your team on that case to see what is eligible
and not eligible.
Mr. Webster of Florida. I think what they are asking is,
okay, there is this contract, they have it, and they perform
that, although the contract was exceeded. And so, by exceeding
it, do they only get what they had a contract for reimbursed,
or can the excess also be reimbursed?
Ms. Criswell. On the basis of what you are saying, that
doesn't sound like a reasonable approach from FEMA. We would be
reimbursing all eligible costs. I mean, if they had to incur
additional costs beyond their contract, that should, from what
you are saying, fall under the eligible circumstances. But I
would again have to see that specific case.
Mr. Webster of Florida. Thank you very much.
I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The Chair thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes the gentleman from New York, Representative
D'Esposito.
Mr. D'Esposito. Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good
morning, Administrator. How are you?
First, I want to start off with, I am sure, as you have
heard time and time again from colleagues on this committee, it
is absolutely reprehensible to withhold aid and support based
on political affiliation. As you know, in addition to being on
this committee, I serve as the subcommittee chairman of the
House Homeland Security Committee's Emergency Management and
Technology Subcommittee that is also looking into this matter.
Additionally, I was the chief of the Island Park Fire
Department when Hurricane Sandy brought destruction and
devastation to Long Island. And I will tell you that no
political affiliation, no campaign sign, nothing would have
prevented me and those who served under me from helping our
neighbors. So, I am sure you can understand why reports of FEMA
employees skipping homes based on political affiliation and
support of President-elect Donald Trump is both shocking and
absolutely disturbing.
First off, what has FEMA done or planning to do to ensure
the homes that were passed over because of President Trump's
signs are made whole?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, I appreciate your ongoing
support of FEMA, and I share your concerns over the actions of
this employee. We have, first, terminated that employee to
ensure that we can continue to do the good work to support the
American people. We have also sent in an additional team to go
to those 20 homes that we have identified as having been
skipped over to ensure that they have had an opportunity to
register for assistance. And we have provided refresher
training to all of our staff in the field to remind them about
the importance of serving all people, meeting them where they
are, and ensuring that anyone who has been impacted has an
opportunity to apply for assistance.
Mr. D'Esposito. Okay. So, the employee at the center of
this who, as you said, was terminated, which--I appreciate
that, and I think that that was the correct course of action--
but she claims that her instructions were part of an
``institutional FEMA policy of avoiding potentially hostile
homes.'`
So, I think you briefly touched on it, but what are your
plans to change or clarify this, what could be a very bogus
policy, but nonetheless one that people in FEMA feel that
exists, to make sure that it never happens again?
Ms. Criswell. There is nowhere in any FEMA policy, any
training material or information that would direct any of our
staff to avoid a home because of a political sign in their
yard. We do provide training to our staff about aggressive
behavior, and how they can make sure that they can feel safe.
And as we have conducted this refresher training, we have
reminded them that this is reactive behavior when somebody is
approaching you, not proactive, to discriminate against
somebody.
Mr. D'Esposito. All right, thank you. Now, I am going to
bring it a little closer to home.
So, earlier this year on Long Island there was a 1-in-
1,000-year rain event which produced nearly 10 inches of rain,
leading to widespread flash flooding that caused road closures,
travel disruptions, and significant damage to public and
private property. Following the rain event, New York State
applied for both Public and Individual Assistance from FEMA.
The State was successful in receiving a declaration for Public
Assistance. However, Individual Assistance was just denied last
week. And I know that this is an issue both my colleagues from
Long Island, Mr. LaLota and Mr. Garbarino, are working on.
But FEMA's Public Assistance Program has defined the
threshold of $37.5 million in damages for eligibility to New
York State. However, according to the Division of Homeland
Security and Emergency Services in New York State, determining
eligibility for Individual Assistance is more complex and
cannot be assessed as straightforwardly as the Public
Assistance threshold.
So, first, is there a comparable threshold or specific
dollar amount for uninsured damages that must be met for a
disaster to qualify for Individual Assistance?
Ms. Criswell. Our Individual Assistance Program does not
use a very clear cut guideline like that, because we understand
that the community impact could also be a consideration. And if
a community has had such significant trauma to it, we wouldn't
want an arbitrary line, an arbitrary number to prevent them
from getting assistance. So, we have flexibility within our
authorities to understand the impact of a community, but also
what the availability and the capacity is of the State or the
local jurisdiction to support them.
Mr. D'Esposito. So, we are going to be talking about this
in the Homeland Subcommittee. But if you wouldn't mind, if you
could have you and your staff, if you would be willing to
provide more detailed information on how those thresholds for
Individual Assistance are determined. I understand that it is
sort of a cloudy area, but that would be able to help us on
Long Island assist our neighbors and give them concrete answers
as to what they are dealing with.
I know that, again, Mr. LaLota and Mr. Garbarino are both
dealing with a lot of phone calls, a lot of concerns, people
that really don't know where to turn to next. And as we know,
these storms were devastating, unexpected, which sometimes
makes them even more devastating, and we just want to give them
answers. So, if you could provide a little bit further detailed
information, we would all appreciate it.
Mr. Chairman----
Ms. Criswell [interposing]. I would be happy to do that.
Mr. D'Esposito [continuing]. I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The chairman thanks the gentleman. The Chair now
recognizes Representative Yakym.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And thank you for being here, Administrator Criswell. The
hard-working men and women at FEMA have an important role to
play in our communities, helping lift up their fellow Americans
when they have been knocked down by a disaster. But recent
months have exposed a capabilities gap and a trust gap, and
that trust gap is no act of God. And I want to better
understand this recent scandal in which houses in Florida were
skipped by FEMA canvassers because of Trump signs in their
front yard.
You have referenced an investigation that is currently
underway. There have been concerns expressed that FEMA is
deleting emails related to the employee's assertion that it was
a directive from her supervisors to skip homes displaying signs
supporting President Trump. Ms. Criswell, can you commit to us
today that all FEMA records, including Teams messages, emails,
and text messages, have been and will be preserved for this
investigation?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, all of our records are
preserved, and I can commit to you that any requests that you
make we will make sure to send them to you.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you. You have been fairly consistent and
insistent that this was one employee who acted alone. But are
you able to guarantee that no one at FEMA headquarters gave
verbal or written guidance in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and
Milton that recommended skipping or that otherwise warned
canvassers about interacting with houses with Trump signs in
their lawn?
Ms. Criswell. We are continuing to investigate the
circumstances surrounding this, but I have been presented with
no evidence at this point that there was anything beyond this
one person's direction.
Mr. Yakym. And what steps will you take as--it sounds like
you cannot at this point guarantee that that is not taking
place. What steps are you taking at FEMA headquarters to ensure
and guarantee us that no guidance was given from headquarters
to skip over houses that have Trump signs in the front yard?
Ms. Criswell. Again, we want to make sure that all people
impacted by these disasters have the assistance that they are
eligible for and that they deserve. We are continuing to
conduct an investigation. Our Office of Professional
Responsibility is currently working alongside the Office of the
Inspector General, and we expect them to fully investigate the
circumstances around this to ensure that this was only a single
incident.
Mr. Yakym. And the employee at the center of this scandal
hinted that a policy to skip houses with Trump signs may have
also been in place in North Carolina, as well. Are you able to
guarantee that there was not a similar policy in North
Carolina?
Ms. Criswell. Again, I have seen no evidence that shows
that this was anything beyond this one person's specific
instructions to her team.
Mr. Yakym. The number-one goal under FEMA's strategic plan
for 2022 through 2026 is what? What is the number-one goal
under your strategic plan?
Ms. Criswell. Equity as a foundation of emergency
management.
Mr. Yakym. And for reference, what was the number-one goal
under the 2018 through 2022 strategic plan?
Ms. Criswell. I do not know. That was before my time.
Mr. Yakym. To build a culture of preparedness. Does
skipping houses with Trump signs advance equity, which is your
number-one strategic plan goal?
Ms. Criswell. Equity, as we look at it, is to make sure
that we are reducing barriers for anybody that has a need to
access our programs. And so, we are ensuring that we are taking
down barriers so all people impacted by disasters have access
to the programs that they need and that they are eligible for.
Mr. Yakym. And equity, according to FEMA's own guidance in
the Executive order signed by President Biden--Executive Order
No. 13985 defines equity as ``The consistent and systematic
fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals.'` Do
you believe that the individuals with Trump signs in their
front yard were treated fairly and impartially?
Ms. Criswell. They were not, which is why we terminated
her.
Mr. Yakym. Thank you, and I would like to yield the balance
of my time to the chairman, Mr. Perry.
Mr. Perry. Well, the Chair thanks the gentleman.
Administrator, you are in support of the supplemental
request, you are in support of that, right? And you would kind
of agree with the assertion that you don't have the staffing
necessary to complete your mission in one form or another?
Ms. Criswell. That I don't have the staffing?
Mr. Perry. Staffing, you don't have personnel.
Ms. Criswell. I have the staffing and personnel to complete
our mission.
Mr. Perry. You do?
Ms. Criswell. I need funding to continue to support
reimbursing----
Mr. Perry [interrupting]. You need the funding. Okay. So,
let me ask you this.
You figure out your strategic plan, and it seems to me that
your strategic plan bumped your core mission of helping people
before, during, and after disasters. Can you explain? I mean,
you sent, I think, is it two people to Azerbaijan? I don't know
how far Azerbaijan is, but your organization sent, as I
understand--is it more than two people or just two people to
the--as it is stated, the Solidarity for a Green World
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change--COP, probably, 24 or 25, or
whatever the heck it is. Two people? How many?
Ms. Criswell. COP29, I believe we sent two people.
Mr. Perry. Two people? Who approves that?
Ms. Criswell. I do.
Mr. Perry. You approve that? So, can you provide the
committee the details on how much that cost, how much their
stay was, and how that--look, people here talk about
disinformation. One of the biggest portions of disinformation
that I consistently see is that disasters are more frequent,
they are more devastating. Simply, the data doesn't support any
of that and it is all--and allegedly, that is all caused by us,
and no data supports that either, yet those assertions are
made.
And one of those assertions is, of course, about climate
change itself. And of course, you are sending your staff, which
apparently you have enough of, but you don't have enough money,
but you are paying--so, we would like to know how much all that
cost to send them to Azerbaijan.
With that, the Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New
Jersey, Representative Van Drew.
Dr. Van Drew. Chairman, thank you.
Administrator, you seem like a really nice person, and you
have a very nice personality, and you seem calm and gentle. So,
I am going to apologize in advance, because I am angry, and I
am tired of it. I don't only sit on Transportation, I sit on
Judiciary. And I have been at hearings for hours where we were
told that there wasn't any plan to go into Roman Catholic
Churches--and I am digressing, I realize that--and yet we found
out there was, and they had to apologize. We were told that
nobody was going to school board meetings because people were
reflecting their individual opinions. And again, over time, we
dug in and found out there was. There is a culture in America
that this issue represents and symbolizes. And I am a plain
speaker, I am a plain talker, and I am very direct. So, I am
going to ask you some things.
I know you have talked about it, but the reason we keep
going back to it, Administrator, it is a really big deal. It is
the First Amendment that people have the right to express their
viewpoint, their feelings, who they want to vote for, what they
believe, whether they are liberal or conservative, Republican
or Democrat, Trump or Harris. Who cares? Because guess what?
The folks on the other side of the aisle should know if it
happened to us, it could happen to them. That is the reality.
And I believe that FEMA has blatantly neglected its core
mission of providing emergency support to all Americans without
prejudice or bias. And I also believe this doesn't happen in a
vacuum. And I understand the person who has been fired, she
swears that this came from above her. So, the first question I
am going to ask you, that this was part of the administration:
Is she a liar?
Ms. Criswell. Her allegations, I have not seen any evidence
that this is beyond her specific direction. But we are
conducting additional investigations to ensure that this is an
isolated incident----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. So, the truth is we----
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. and that we will take
disciplinary action if there was more than her----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. The truth is we don't know
yet. It is the culture. It is the culture of what is going on.
And part of what they said, this individual, they called
Trump supporters--and I know you got the--I know your answer is
going to be ``no'' to this--as ``vicious dogs.'` I want to just
say how deep and mean this was. Do you believe that Trump's
supporters are vicious dogs?
Ms. Criswell. That was a comment that was not made by me,
and I do not believe in that comment, no.
Dr. Van Drew. Okay, I am sure you don't.
Do political affiliations with the Republican Party make
someone inherently dangerous because they happen to be a
Republican? Yes or no?
Ms. Criswell. That is not in alignment with our core
mission and our values of integrity, compassion, fairness, and
respect.
Dr. Van Drew. And I agree, and I understand that. But think
about this. People, when they are their most vulnerable, most
in need, most scared, most worried, in the most trouble
probably in their entire lives, hard-working men and women of
America looking to a Federal agency to protect them, to help
them, to take care of them, and they got literally a knife in
the heart, I mean, that is what this really represented. Those
people, how do they feel? They break their back, paying the
taxes that keep us all going here. So, when we finally are
supposed to do a job, this is what happens. How heartbreaking
is that?
Ms. Criswell. Congressman, this was unacceptable, and it is
heartbreaking.
Dr. Van Drew. I know, and I----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. I have pushed for 3\1/2\ years
to put people first----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. And you know what?
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. In everything that we do.
Dr. Van Drew. And that is what kind of--and again, forgive
me, I am going to editorialize for a minute. We speak of
equity, which is different than equality, and it has become a
political symbol to some degree, whether folks want to admit it
or not. We are worried about pronouns. We are worried about
illegals. We are worried about everything, and I get it. But
how about just worrying about the average man and woman who is
working, who lives in America, who is legal, who pays their
taxes, who obeys the laws, and finally, finally needs help?
Because most of these people never need help. They don't
want anything. They get their Social Security when they retire,
and that is about it. Just think how they feel. And I am
concerned, and I have to tell you I have personally asked Joe
Cuffari, who is the inspector general in Homeland Security,
personally asked him, sent him a letter--he is a good man, he
is an honest broker--to look into this and really dissect this
and see what is going on.
I think we are going to find it is more than one person.
That culture allowed this one person to think it was okay. That
culture that we have had, whether it is in the Department of
Justice, in my--or whether it is here in Homeland Security or
other areas, that culture has allowed this to take place. That
culture is wrong, and it denies the most fundamental values of
Americanism.
Somebody said to me humorously, hey--this wasn't humorous--
President Trump had a really good result in the State of New
Jersey. It didn't quite make it, but it is usually a very, very
blue State. It is the State I am from, New Jersey. Because we
are having wildfires right now, as you probably know, people
wonder: Are we going to be punished because it was so
supportive of President Trump?
I would hope not, because, to be honest with you, I do my
job--I was a dentist in my other life, and your job is kind of
like that. We have to take care of people not in the political
end, but in the governmental end, regardless of who they are,
what they believe, what they feel, what they have said. That is
our responsibility and job. This is so unbelievably,
fundamentally wrong. And I am not showboating here as a
politician. I swear to God, this really bothers me. It really
bothers Americans. It is a grievous mistake. It is awful that
it happened, and it has to be fixed.
I wanted to see if there are any other questions. Hold on
for a second.
Mr. Perry. The gentleman's time----
Dr. Van Drew [interrupting]. I completely----
Mr. Perry [continuing]. The gentleman's time----
Dr. Van Drew. Oh, my time is up. Well, there are no more
questions, right, Chairman?
Chairman, thank you for making me aware of that. I yield
back.
Mr. Perry. The gentleman yields. He might seek time from
the next Representative if he has any left, the next
Representative, Representative Bean from Florida, is
recognized.
Mr. Bean of Florida. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. A
very good morning to you. Good morning, T&I Committee, and good
morning, Administrator. Welcome.
Let's cut through the disinformation that has been talked
about. So, let's play a game called true or false. I will say a
statement. You say true or false, Madam Administrator.
After Helene, it was widely reported that a FEMA supervisor
told aid workers to avoid homes advertising Trump. Is that true
or false?
Ms. Criswell. A single employee directed her team to not go
to homes with Trump signs.
Mr. Bean of Florida. I am going to put you down for a true,
then. Is that correct? True?
Ms. Criswell. A single employee.
Mr. Bean of Florida. I am putting you down for a true.
FEMA--here is the next one--FEMA is supposed to be
nonpartisan. FEMA is supposed to be like the police or fire
department. When they come, they are going to deliver aid. They
don't care about your race, political affiliations, or
anything. They are supposed to just get the job done. Is that
true or false, Madam Administrator?
Ms. Criswell. True. FEMA is a nonpartisan agency.
Mr. Bean of Florida. Another true. Putting you down for a
true.
According to an email to committee staff, that person
responsible was fired from FEMA. Is that true or false, Madam
Administrator?
Ms. Criswell. That individual was terminated at my
direction.
Mr. Bean of Florida. I am going to put you down as a true.
How do you know, though, it is only one person? How do we know?
Ms. Criswell. This is why I have ongoing investigations,
and we will be working with the IG to establish that it was
just a single incident.
Mr. Bean of Florida. You are working with the IG. That is
fantastic.
The Daily Wire has obtained screenshots of multiple entries
in the system that said, ``Trump sign, no contact per
leadership.'' So, that could be evidence. At least it is a
trail to begin your investigation. Would you say that is true?
That is a good lead. Is that a good lead?
Ms. Criswell. Those were the staff that the individual in
question directed not to go to Trump homes.
Mr. Bean of Florida. I am going to put you down for another
true.
So, here is the question: Do you understand why Americans
lack confidence in FEMA leadership? You understand that.
Ms. Criswell. Trust is the most important thing that we can
have in Government.
Mr. Bean of Florida. Again, you would say yes?
Ms. Criswell. And to have one individual----
Mr. Bean of Florida [interrupting]. Can I put you down as a
yes, that you do understand why so many people are upset?
Ms. Criswell. It is unacceptable why this one person made
this direction----
Mr. Bean of Florida [interrupting]. I am going to put you
down for a yes.
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. And I can understand why they
are upset.
Mr. Bean of Florida. Yes is so much easier to say. Yes, I
understand it. You understand why people are mad. I am not
trying--it is not a gotcha question.
Ms. Criswell. No, I said that.
Mr. Bean of Florida. I am just saying----
Ms. Criswell [interrupting]. I said yes----
Mr. Bean of Florida [continuing]. You understand.
Ms. Criswell [continuing]. I understand why the actions of
this one individual can be so hurtful.
Mr. Bean of Florida. Very good. And I want to--I am going
to congratulate you on saying we might need some help from the
inspector general, because Americans just need trust in their
fire department, their police department, and in FEMA.
So, what is the plan to restore Americans' trust in FEMA?
What is the plan?
Ms. Criswell. We are going to continue with our absolutely
committed 22,000-plus employees to assist in the recovery
efforts across these disasters, and the over 100 other open
disasters across the United States, helping them rebuild and
restore their lives to get back to some sense of normalcy.
Mr. Bean of Florida. Thank you, Administrator.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Perry. The gentleman yields. Are there further
questions from any members of the subcommittee who have not yet
been recognized?
Seeing none, that concludes our hearing for today. I would
like to--and I am going to--thank each of the witnesses.
Administrator, it has been tough, but we do appreciate you
being here. I know it is not always fun or pleasant, but we are
very appreciative that you took the time to come and hear our
questions and provide your answers.
So, with that, this subcommittee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:19 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
Submissions for the Record
----------
Letter to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, from Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure; Hon. Scott Perry, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency
Management, et al., Submitted for the Record by Hon. Scott Perry
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 20515.
The Honorable Deanne Criswell,
Administrator,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Department of
Homeland Security, 500 C St. SW, Washington, DC 20472.
Dear Administrator Criswell:
The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee) is
aware of disturbing news reports detailing how a Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) employee tasked with leading recovery efforts
in and around Lake Placid, Florida, directed FEMA workers to avoid
homes with Trump campaign signs.\1\ These reports have surfaced while
thousands of Americans continue to deal with the devastation and loss
inflicted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. As the FEMA Administrator,
you are responsible for leading the Nation's efforts to prepare for,
protect against, and respond to natural disasters.\2\ The Committee is
troubled that under your leadership FEMA failed to aid all Americans,
regardless of party affiliation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Leif Le Mahieu, EXCLUSIVE: FEMA Official Ordered Relief Workers
To Skip Houses With Trump Signs, The Daily Wire (Nov. 8, 2024),
available at https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-fema-official-
ordered-relief-workers-to-skip-houses-with-trump-signs [hereinafter
Daily Wire Article].
\2\ 6 U.S.C. Sec. 313.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In reporting that first emerged from The Daily Wire, it was
revealed that a FEMA supervisor sent a best practices message to FEMA
workers canvassing the Florida area impacted by Hurricane Milton, which
instructed the workers to ``avoid homes advertising Trump.'' \3\ As a
result, FEMA workers passed over homes with Trump campaign signs or
flags, and reported that approximately 20 homes were skipped from the
end of October and into November.\4\ In a system used by FEMA to track
which homes were contacted, FEMA worker entries show that homes were
skipped as a direct result of the guidance issued by FEMA
leadership.\5\ Screenshots obtained by The Daily Wire show entries in
the system which state ``Trump sign, no contact per leadership.'' \6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Daily Wire Article, supra note 1.
\4\ Id.
\5\ Id.
\6\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
You issued an official statement on November 9, 2024, asserting
that the actions of the FEMA supervisor were a ``clear violation of
FEMA's core value and principles'' \7\ and that the employee had been
terminated and the matter referred to the Office of Special Counsel.\8\
Yet, under the Biden Administration, FEMA's number one strategic goal,
per its Strategic Plan, is focused on equity, while preparedness and
readiness were relegated to FEMA's third goal, after climate change.\9\
In fact, the FEMA employee disputes the notion that her actions were
out of line with direction from FEMA leadership and that as of November
11, 2024, she had not received anything in writing with respect to her
termination.\10\ She further asserts a trend of avoidance by FEMA, not
just in Florida but also in the Carolinas.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ Press Release, FEMA, Statement from FEMA Administrator Deanne
Criswell on Employee Misconduct, (Nov. 9, 2024), available at https://
www.fema.gov/press-release/20241109/statement-fema-administrator-
deanne-criswell-employee-misconduct.
\8\ E-mail from FEMA Congressional Affairs Staff, to H. Comm. on
Transp. and Infrastructure staff (Nov. 9, 2024, 1:48 PM EST) (on file
with Comm.).
\9\ FEMA, 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan: Building the FEMA Our
Nation Needs and Deserves 4-5 (2021), available at https://
www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_2022-2026-strategic-
plan.pdf.
\10\ @Blackstarnetwork, YouTube (Nov. 11, 2024), available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL3hibZebhA.
\11\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your inability to ensure that FEMA provide relief to all Americans
affected by disasters, free of discrimination, represents a substantial
failure of leadership. The blatant disregard of President-elect Trump
supporters directly contradicts FEMA's core mission and values. This
reporting follows previous media coverage, which found that residents
in North Carolina felt they had been left to fend for themselves, and
FEMA was too slow in providing relief, compounding the Committee's
concerns related to FEMA's capacity to aid disaster victims.\12\ It is
clear that, under the Biden-Harris Administration, FEMA has been ill-
prepared to provide assistance and relief to many Americans in need.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ Emily Cochrane, et al., After Flooding, FEMA Aid is Arriving.
But Some Are Still on Their Own., N.Y. Times (Oct. 2, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Committee is continuing its oversight of FEMA's ability to
adequately respond to natural disasters. In order to assist the
Committee with its investigation, please provide a briefing to
Committee staff by December 2, 2024. At the briefing FEMA should be
prepared to discuss concerns related to the agency's failure to aid
Americans regardless of party affiliation, including the steps FEMA has
taken to assist unaided families, policies implemented to prevent
future political discrimination, and the prevalence at which the agency
fell derelict in its duty to assist victims. In addition, please
provide the requested documents and information, as soon as possible,
but no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on December 2, 2024:
1. Please provide all documents and communications sufficient to
show when FEMA leadership became aware of the discriminatory guidance
given to FEMA workers in Florida.
2. Please provide all documents and communications, if any,
related to FEMA's efforts to contact and provide assistance to the
Florida residences skipped as a result of the discriminatory guidance.
3. Please provide all documents and communications, if any,
related to FEMA's effort to notify state and local officials of the
discriminatory guidance.
4. Please provide all documents and communications, if any,
related to FEMA's efforts to notify the skipped residences of Federal
grants and assistance that may be available.
5. Please provide all documents and communications related to any
actions taken to investigate whether homes in other communities and
states were similarly impacted.
6. Please provide copies of any guidance documents and policies
for field workers on canvassing in response to Hurricanes Helene and
Milton.
Pursuant to House Rule X, clause 1(r), the Committee has
jurisdiction over these issues and shall conduct appropriate oversight
of these actions. This request and any documents created as a result of
this request will be deemed Congressional documents of the Committee.
An attachment contains additional instructions for responding to this
request. When producing documents to the Committee, please deliver
production sets to the Majority Staff in Room 2165 of the Rayburn House
Office Building and the Minority Staff in Room 2164 of the Rayburn
House Office Building.
If you have any questions about this request, please contact
Johanna Hardy with the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public
Buildings, and Emergency Management. Thank you for your prompt
attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Hon. Sam Graves,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Hon. Scott Perry,
Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and
Emergency Management.
Brian Babin, D.D.S.,
Member of Congress.
Aaron Bean,
Member of Congress.
Mike Bost,
Member of Congress.
Tim Burchett,
Member of Congress.
Eric Burlison,
Member of Congress.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer,
Member of Congress.
Mike Collins,
Member of Congress.
Eric A. ``Rick'' Crawford,
Member of Congress.
Anthony D'Esposito,
Member of Congress.
John S. Duarte,
Member of Congress.
Mike Ezell,
Member of Congress.
Vince Fong,
Member of Congress.
Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon,
Member of Congress.
Garret Graves,
Member of Congress.
Dusty Johnson,
Member of Congress.
Thomas H. Kean, Jr.,
Member of Congress.
Kevin Kiley,
Member of Congress.
Doug LaMalfa,
Member of Congress.
Celeste Maloy,
Member of Congress.
Tracey Mann,
Member of Congress.
Thomas Massie,
Member of Congress.
Brian Mast,
Member of Congress.
Marcus J. Molinaro,
Member of Congress.
Troy E. Nehls,
Member of Congress.
Burgess Owens,
Member of Congress.
David Rouzer,
Member of Congress.
Pete Stauber,
Member of Congress.
Jeff Van Drew,
Member of Congress.
Derrick Van Orden,
Member of Congress.
Daniel Webster,
Member of Congress.
Bruce Westerman,
Member of Congress.
Brandon Williams,
Member of Congress.
Rudy Yakym III,
Member of Congress.
CC: The Honorable Rick Larsen, Ranking Member
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
The Honorable Dina Titus, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and
Emergency Management
Enclosure
Attachment A--Requirements for Responding to the House Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure Records Requests in the 118th
Congress
Letter of October 11, 2024, to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, from Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman,
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Hon. Scott Perry,
Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and
Emergency Management, Submitted for the Record by Hon. Scott Perry
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 20515,
October 11, 2024.
Hon. Deanne Criswell,
Administrator,
Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, 500 C St. SW, Washington, DC 20472.
Dear Administrator Criswell:
On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall on the
Florida Gulf Coast and progressed up the East Coast as a Category 4
storm that devastated states and local communities in its path. To
date, at least 227 Americans have lost their lives to Hurricane Helene
as people continue to search for missing loved ones and local officials
rebuild their towns and neighborhoods.\1\ Less than two weeks later, on
October 9, 2024, Hurricane Milton made landfall along the west coast of
Florida.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Anna Betts, Aliya Uteuova, & Dharna Noor, Hurricane Helene:
more than 200 dead as search for missing people continues, The Guardian
(Oct. 3, 2024) available at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/
oct/03/hurricane-helene-death-toll-power-outages.
\2\ Leonara. LaPeter Anton and Brad Brooks, Hurricane Milton kills
four, destroys homes in Florida, but worst scenario avoided, Reuters,
(Oct. 10, 2024) available at https://reuters.com/world/us/hurricane-
milton-weakens-it-marches-across-central-florida-homes-destroyed-2024-
10-10/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is charged with
leading the Nation's efforts to prepare for, protect against, respond
to, recover from, and mitigate against the risk of natural disasters,
acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.\3\ The Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure (Committee) is aware of troubling
media reports of how FEMA, under your leadership, has failed to rise to
the challenge and adequately respond to Hurricane Helene. Therefore,
the Committee seeks to understand FEMA's preparation and strategies for
response, as well as its capacity to provide relief for disaster
victims.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ 6 U.S.C. Sec. 313.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On October 2, 2024, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary
Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that FEMA lacked sufficient funding
to make it through the current hurricane season as the agency works to
support communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.\4\ Secretary
Mayorkas's comments were made just weeks after Congress passed
legislation that provided $20 billion to the agency for disaster relief
spending.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Mayorkas Warns FEMA Doesn't Have Enough Funding to Last Through
Hurricane Season, U.S. News & World Report (Oct. 2, 2024) available at
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2024-10-02/mayorkas-
warns-fema-doesnt-have-enough-funding-to-last-through-hurricane-season.
\5\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In July 2022, concerns were raised with the use of FEMA's Emergency
Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to support the crisis at the Southern
Border.\6\ Because of insufficient responses, another letter was sent
on January 23, 2023, more broadly requesting information on FEMA's role
in the crisis at the border and requesting documents related to FEMA's
activities related to the border.\7\ In response, FEMA indicated that
FEMA personnel, including a Regional Administrator, had been reassigned
for a period of time to assist at the border.\8\ While FEMA has
maintained that these diversions of resources were small in number,
given FEMA's overall staffing shortage of approximately 6,200
personnel, any diversion of FEMA resources is concerning.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ Letter from Rep. Sam Graves, Ranking Member, H. Comm. on
Transp. & Infrastructure, to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, FEMA
(July 27, 2022).
\7\ Letter from Rep. Sam Graves, Chairman, H. Comm. on Transp. &
Infrastructure, to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, FEMA, (Jan. 23,
2023) (on file Comm.).
\8\ E-mail from Deanne Criswell, Administrator, FEMA, to Alejandro
Mayorkas, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (March 17, 2022)
(on file with Comm).
\9\ The Impacts of FEMA's Strategic Plan of Disaster Preparedness
and Response: Hearing Before the H. Comm. on Transp. and
Infrastructure, 118th Cong. (May 17, 2023) (statement of Chris Currie,
Government Accountability Office).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the most troubling media reports has been from residents in
North Carolina who have voiced complaints with the Federal response to
Hurricane Helene, and in particular criticized FEMA's reaction pace to
the storm.\10\ The New York Times reported that individuals in rural
areas of North Carolina affected by the storm are skeptical of FEMA's
ability to provide assistance and feel that they have been left to fend
for themselves.\11\ The Committee remains concerned by reports
detailing FEMA's slow response and ability to provide aid to victims,
as well as FEMA's interactions with non-Federal efforts to assist
Americans in need.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ Emily Cochrane, et al., After Flooding, FEMA Aid is Arriving.
But Some Are Still on Their Own., N.Y. Times (Oct. 2, 2024) available
at https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/02/us/fema-floods-north-
carolina.html.
\11\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In response to negative news coverage surrounding FEMA's response
to Hurricane Helene, FEMA created a ``Rumor Control'' page specific to
Hurricane Helene. Unfortunately, the information on that page, as well
as FEMA social media postings, do little to provide disaster victims
the help they need. For example, FEMA clarifies that $750 is not the
only assistance survivors may receive. However, the agency ignores the
challenge survivors face with online applications, that survivors who
have successfully applied have raised concerns about denials of aid,
and the reality that $750 in this economy with high inflation is not
enough to cover the items FEMA claims the assistance can be used for--
``food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and
other supplies.'' \12\ The Committee is committed to ensuring that
FEMA's emphasis on messaging has not detracted from efforts to provide
aid to victims.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\ Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hurricane Helene: Rumor
Response, available at https://www.fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricane-
helene/rumor-response.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since Hurricane Helene, officials from the National Security
Council (NSC) have participated in, and appeared to lead, some of the
Congressional briefings on the response. The NSC has no statutory
authority with respect to managing disasters, and its capabilities and
expertise in emergency management is questionable and unclear. Under
the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA), you
are the Principal Advisor to the President during a disaster.\13\ In
light of the questions surrounding the Federal Government's response,
the Committee seeks clarification about NSC's role in the response and
information to determine whether NSC created additional bureaucratic
hurdles to providing relief.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\ 6 U.S.C. Sec. 313.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are seeking clarity as to the actions FEMA has taken in our
efforts to assess FEMA's preparedness and response to Hurricanes Helene
and Milton. In order to assist the Committee with its investigation,
please provide the requested documents and information by October 25,
2024:
1. Please provide specific details regarding the NSC's involvement
in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
a. Has this involvement been the same as in previous disasters?
Please explain.
b. What is the role of the NSC in managing disasters? Where does
the NSC derive its statutory authority to support this role?
c. Is FEMA providing direct advice to the President on disaster
response as required by law? Please describe the frequency and method
of communications with the President on disaster advice.
d. Have you been advised to report to anyone other than the
President in relation to the recent disasters? If so, to whom have you
been instructed to report, and who gave that instruction?
2. Earlier this year, FEMA made significant changes to the
Individual Assistance (IA) Program. These changes included implementing
a Serious Needs Assistance program, which would provide individuals
with cash payments of $750.
a. Does FEMA characterize the implementation of the Serious
Needs Assistance program as a success? Please explain.
b. Has there been any discussion about adjusting the amount of
assistance provided to victims? If so, please describe.
c. There are reports that this assistance is not provided
immediately and that some victims have even been denied.
i. What is the average period of time from application to the
time the $750 would be received by the applicant?
ii. What are the eligibility requirements for FEMA's IA
Program, and how are they communicated to disaster victims?
iii. On what basis are people denied, and what does the appeal
process entail?
iv. Does FEMA's notification of denial provide clear
information about the appeals process?
v. How does FEMA ensure that victims without cellphone service
or access to internet are able to apply for assistance? Can individuals
apply outside of congregate housing shelters by working directly with
FEMA officials?
3. Please provide details of the number, locations, and functions
of FEMA personnel deployed for Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
a. Does FEMA still have a staffing gap? If so, please detail the
staffing gap.
b. What percentage of FEMA's disaster personnel were called up
for each Hurricane?
c. What percentage of FEMA disaster personnel was unavailable
for each Hurricane?
d. Did FEMA have any challenges with deployments due to
unavailable FEMA disaster personnel? Please explain.
4. Please provide details of shelters, distribution centers, and
other resources for disaster victims, including locations and number of
people served.
a. Has FEMA been involved in efforts to redirect supplies,
donations, and volunteer activities? Has FEMA's involvement included
confiscating or refusing supplies or services?
b. Does every FEMA operated facility have adequate signage and
staffing from FEMA?
5. How has the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) impacted FEMA's
ability to respond to Hurricanes Helene and Milton?
a. Please provide a detailed breakdown of the resources that
FEMA has allocated for SSP, including staffing and funding.
b. Within the last six months, have any FEMA resources or
personnel been diverted or reassigned to assist at the Southern Border
or on migrant issues, generally? If so, please provide details.
6. On October 3, 2024, FEMA began publishing a ``Hurricane Helene:
Rumor Response'' resource on its website. Please provide all documents
and communications relating to FEMA's decision to establish the
``Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response'' webpage.
a. The webpage clarifies that $750 is not the only assistance an
individual may be eligible to receive, yet ignores complaints about
denials and whether the assistance is enough to cover basic needs. How
does FEMA determine which ``rumors'' are included on the website and
what questions the agency will respond to?
b. How does FEMA determine what is a ``rumor'' or
``misinformation''?
c. Did any Biden-Harris Administration official, outside of
FEMA, direct the agency to establish its ``Hurricane Helene: Rumor
Response'' webpage?
d. Has FEMA previously published an agency webpage to counter
``misinformation'' in the aftermath of a significant storm or natural
disaster?
7. Please provide a detailed timeline and summary of the Federal
response to Hurricane Helene, beginning from pre-positioning prior to
the disaster to the present. Please include details on which Federal
agencies and departments were activated, what assets and resources were
deployed and where, and which Emergency Support Functions were
activated.
8. On September 30, 2024, President Biden signed a Continuing
Resolution into law which provided $20 billion in funds to the Disaster
Relief Fund (DRF), bringing an end to FEMA's Immediate Needs Funding
status. Days later, DHS Secretary Mayorkas stated that FEMA did not
have sufficient funds to last through the Hurricane Season.
a. What is the basis for the Secretary's statement? When does
FEMA estimate returning to INF status?
b. What funding level did FEMA indicate to the House and Senate
Appropriations Committees would be sufficient?
c. Please provide a detailed accounting of FEMA's project
approvals since the last appropriation to the DRF. Specifically,
include details showing the rate of project approvals leading up to and
during INF.
d. Please describe the amounts FEMA estimates obligating in
response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Pursuant to House Rule X, clause 1(r), the Committee has
jurisdiction over these issues and shall conduct appropriate oversight
of these actions. This request and any documents created as a result of
this request will be deemed Congressional documents of the Committee.
An attachment contains additional instructions for responding to this
request. When producing documents to the Committee, please deliver
production sets to the Majority Staff in Room 2165 of the Rayburn House
Office Building and the Minority Staff in Room 2164 of the Rayburn
House Office Building.
If you have any questions about this request, please contact
Johanna Hardy, Staff Director, Subcommittee on Economic Development,
Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. Thank you for your prompt
attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Scott Perry,
Chairman, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings,
and Emergency Management.
cc: The Honorable Rick Larsen, Ranking Member, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
Enclosure
Attachment A
Letter of October 25, 2024, to Hon. Sam Graves, Chairman, Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, from Hon. Deanne Criswell,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Submitted for the
Record by Hon. Scott Perry
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Appendix
----------
Questions to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, from Hon.
Scott Perry
Question 1. Administrator Criswell, on November 14, 2024, the
Committee's Republican Members sent a letter to you about the recent
allegations that FEMA workers skipped the homes of supporters of
President-elect Trump. Following the allegations, you issued a
statement that ``one'' FEMA employee ``departed from'' FEMA's values
and was terminated.\1\ You reiterated this at the hearing. These
statements directly conflict with the assertions of Ms. Washington who
claims that these directives already existed when she arrived for
deployment. The Committee has received information from sources,
unrelated to Ms. Washington, that substantiates her assertion that this
may have been commonplace across multiple states and multiple FEMA
personnel.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ FEMA, Statement from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on
Employee Misconduct (Nov. 9, 2024), available at https://www.fema.gov/
press-release/20241109/statement-fema-administrator-deanne-criswell-
employee-misconduct
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 1.a. Please describe in detail the investigation that FEMA
conducted prior to terminating Ms. Washington's employment that
concluded that she was the source of this directive.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.b. Has there been any investigation into who released
Ms. Washington's name and contact information to the public, and
information around her message about the Trump signs, and whether such
a leak violates the Privacy Act or any other laws related to Personal
Identifiable Information (PII)?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.c. You mentioned at the hearing that FEMA is still
investigating whether or not the practice of skipping homes with Trump
signs was isolated to this one FEMA employee.
Question 1.c.i. Please provide information on who, within the
agency, is specifically conducting this investigation, including their
title and position.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.c.ii. Please provide a timeline for when this
investigation will be concluded.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.c.iii. Is the investigation solely focused on the
activities in Florida, or is it investigating allegations that similar
actions occurred in other states? Please explain.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.d. There have been allegations that records related to
this issue may have been deleted. During the hearing, you mentioned
that there would be a record of deletions, if any happened.
Question 1.d.i. Please detail what steps FEMA has taken to
determine whether any records have been deleted and provide the results
on that analysis.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.e. Please describe FEMA's official policy and procedures
for workers canvassing following a disaster on how they are to handle
what they perceive as a ``hostile'' encounter or if they feel unsafe.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.e.i. Please describe the training provided to FEMA
workers on how to handle any discomfort in the field and what is or is
not appropriate.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.f. Please provide details of the team(s), with whom Ms.
Washington was deployed in Florida, including who was her supervisor,
who else was working with her, a breakdown of whether they were full
time FEMA employees, FEMA Reservists, surge capacity workers, and the
areas they were to cover.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.f.i. To the extent that surge capacity workers were
involved, were these workers Federal employees or managed through a
contractor?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.f.ii. If managed through a contractor, please indicate
the name, describe the role of the contractor, and provide details of
what training occurred with the contract workers.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 1.f.iii. During the hearing, you offered to provide an
organizational chart that would describe the chain of command that Ms.
Washington served under. Please provide that organizational chart.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 2. Administrator Criswell, your written testimony states
that FEMA's mission is helping people before, during, and after
disasters. However, your Strategic Plan bumped that core mission below
the missions of equity and climate change. While communities across
this Nation are recovering from devastating hurricanes, wildfires,
floods and other disasters, we've learned that instead of focusing on
efforts to rebuild, your resiliency office leadership have been in
Azerbaijan for the ``In Solidarity for a Green World Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.''
Question 2.a. Please describe how FEMA's participation in the
conference falls under the core mission of helping Americans before,
during, and after disasters.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 2.b. Can you provide the Committee details on this travel,
including who from FEMA attended, who approved this travel, length of
stay, and the total costs to the taxpayer?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 3. The Biden Administration's request for supplemental
funding included a request for $40 billion for the Disaster Relief
Fund, but requested authority to transfer up to $1.5 billion for the
Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon claims. Congress provided authority for FEMA
to manage this claims office, but it seems that FEMA is being asked to
pay out the claims from its own budget, despite the allegations that
liability falls with another Federal agency.
Question 3.a. Please provide a breakdown of all costs to FEMA of
managing this claims office, including actual claims paid out,
staffing, and other administrative costs.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 3.b. Is FEMA receiving any reimbursement from the Federal
agency found liable for these claims?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 3.c. A major disaster declaration was issued for these
fires and, as a result, FEMA has also provided disaster assistance. How
much FEMA disaster assistance has been obligated for these fires?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 4. In your response to the October 11, 2024, letter sent
from Chairman Sam Graves and myself, you indicated that through the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Volunteer Force, DHS employees
from any component may volunteer to deploy for six days to support
other DHS agencies with homeland security domestic incidents. You
further note that the Secretary approved a mission to assist at the
Southwest border and interior cities, but that FEMA stopped allowing
employees to volunteer for deployment for this mission for the
remainder of the 2024 hurricane season, and the last FEMA responder
ended their deployment in July 2024.
Question 4.a. How many FEMA personnel volunteered for this mission
and what are the dates of their deployments?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 4.b. Following the Subcommittee hearing in March 2024,
FEMA provided documents detailing intragovernmental reimbursable
agreements between FEMA and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and
FEMA and the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS).
One agreement does not expire until 2028.
Question 4.b.i. In responding to our October 11th letter, was your
response inclusive of any personnel or resources deployed pursuant to
any of these agreements?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 4.b.ii Were any FEMA personnel, assets, or resources
deployed to support any immigration or border mission when Hurricanes
Helene and Milton hit or at any point following landfall? If so, please
provide details.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 5. On October 3, 2024, FEMA began publishing a Hurricane
Rumor Response resource on its website. What process does FEMA goes
through when deciding to set up a Rumor Response page?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 5.a. With Hurricane Helene specifically, what led FEMA to
decide to set up the Rumor Response resource?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 5.b. How does FEMA decide what ``rumors'' to include on
the website?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 5.c. Do you see any problems with a Federal agency using
its authority to dictate what is and is not ``misinformation''?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 5.d. What process does FEMA use to verify that the
``rumors'' that are posted on the website are actually false?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 5.e. Are there any checks on this, or is it just at the
discretion of FEMA?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 6. Following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, FEMA
established Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) across the impacted area.
In total, how many DRCs did FEMA set up in response to Hurricane Helene
and to Hurricane Milton?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 6.a. Please provide the specific locations for each DRC.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 6.b. Please provide the total number of survivors who
received assistance at each DRC location.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 6.b.i. Please provide the total number of survivors who
have successfully received FEMA assistance after visiting a DRC
location.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 6.c. Please provide the total number of survivors, broken
down by state, who FEMA has assisted following Hurricane Helene and
Hurricane Milton.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 6.c.i. Please provide the total number of survivors,
broken down by state, who have successfully received assistance from
FEMA following Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, from Hon. Rick
Larsen
Question 1. Following catastrophic disasters, including Hurricanes
Helene and Milton, one of the most common frustrations cited by
disaster survivors is difficulty navigating the complex application
system for federal disaster aid.
Does FEMA have the resources necessary to maintain modern
application system software? Would additional funding for the
modernization of FEMA's survivor intake software improve the disaster
survivor experience?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Questions to Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, from Hon. John
Garamendi
Question 1. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and other local
agencies in California have brought to my attention that FEMA's current
guidance for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities
(BRIC) program and Hazard Mitigation Grant Program do not allow grant
awards to water infrastructure projects specifically for fire
suppression to protect at-risk communities. Will FEMA commit to making
water infrastructure projects for fire suppression eligible for these
two FEMA disaster preparedness programs?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 2. FEMA is advancing up to 50% of costs while
jurisdictions complete final paperwork for projects under $1 million.
What additional authorities or funding does FEMA need to expand these
programs to help small, impoverished communities or areas of persistent
poverty and facilitate recovery efforts in small communities?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
Question 3. The Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Program
(PAAP) provides an alternative route to traditional public assistance
funding, incentivizing cost-saving and simplifying reporting
requirements. However, the program's status as a pilot program may lead
to inconsistent implementation. Are there particular difficulties
smaller communities face when applying for assistance through the
Alternative Procedures Program? Moreover, would the Alternative
Procedures program benefit from being made permanent, allowing FEMA to
promulgate necessary regulations to administer the program?
Answer. A response was not received at the time of publication.
[all]