Fema Tells States To Handle Disasters On Their Own

The Trump administration’s disaster chief told state officials Tuesday they must increase their financial reserves and emergency capabilities to handle most disasters on their own, without federal help.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Cameron Hamilton gave unprecedented detail at a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, about the administration’s long-planned shift of disaster responsibilities to states.

“Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves” and other abilities “to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal [disaster] declaration process,” Hamilton said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by POLITICO.

“A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial,” Hamilton added, referring to presidential authorizations of federal disaster aid.

FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hamilton’s remarks at the National Emergency Management Association’s annual conference add detail to his Oct. 15 internal memo — reported by POLITICO — which said FEMA will “strengthen state and local capacity.”

The agency will face substantial challenges — both logistically and politically — preparing states to take a lead role in disaster prevention and recovery.

A FEMA report released Friday found that state disaster agencies “are typically understaffed and underfunded” and that many agencies are heavily dependent on federal funding.

“There are many states with [minuscule] emergency management offices and budgets. There are states with slim rainy-day funds and no capacity to make up for a lack of federal disaster recovery funds — without RAISING TAXES!” Eric Holdeman, a longtime emergency management official, wrote on LinkedIn on Mondayin response to Hamilton's memo.

"Reducing the number of federal disaster declarations will be difficult and its implementation will be impossible! All Presidents, not just the one we have today, will ignore such a policy when it becomes politically expedient to do so,” added Holdeman, a former emergency management director in King County, Washington, which includes Seattle.

The Trump administration plans to launch “national mutual aid,” whereby states help each other recover from damaging storms, floods, wildfires and other events, Hamilton told state emergency management leaders.

“You will also see us asking for greater alleviation and waiving of federal environmental and historical preservation requirements — things that add layers of bureaucracy,” Hamilton said, referring to reviews of FEMA-funded rebuilding projects.

POLITICO obtained a recording of the speech from someone at the private conference.

President Donald Trump threatened to abolish FEMA early in his current term and has since called for states to take more financial responsibility.

The administration has not publicly announced any changes and has continued to approve disaster aid for weather-related events.

Hamilton told the conference attendees that changes could begin “in the next six months.”

Hamilton said states that avoid federal aid might begin disaster recovery more quickly. States could start disaster cleanup and repairs “much faster” if they don’t have to submit a detailed aid application to FEMA and await a decision, which can take weeks or months.

“Sometimes what we find is a potential slowing down the [recovery] process to ensure that a declaration comes through,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said FEMA will focus increasingly on “reducing risk and building capacity across the nation” so that disasters cause less damage and states are better-equipped.

“Federal dollars should be building greater capability, not creating greater dependency,” Hamilton added.