A proposal senators from Michigan and North Carolina say could be helping victims of natural disasters was already filed before Hurricanes Helene and Milton ruptured lives in the southeastern United States.
On Wednesday of the third week since Helene struck the Blue Ridge Mountains in Sen. Thom Tillis’ native North Carolina, FEMA is under attack, the Disaster Survivors Fairness Act of 2024 remains parked in committee since introduction Sept. 17, and another cold night is coming with dozens still missing and 95 dead.
“It’s past time we end the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to disaster relief and cut the red tape that prevents many communities from accessing the relief they desperately need,” Tillis, second-term Republican, said in a release. “This commonsense legislation provides greater flexibility for communities in need, saves taxpayer dollars and helps communities recover faster.”
Sen. Gary Peters, second-term Democrat from Michigan, authored the legislation with Tillis alongside.
“Severe weather and natural disasters are becoming more frequent, more catastrophic and more costly, leaving people across the country in need of swift federal resources to help assist their recovery,” Peters said. “My commonsense bipartisan legislation would reform the FEMA disaster assistance process and improve how the agency provides assistance to individuals for home repairs, disaster housing, and mitigation activities.”
In Florida, Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Steinhatchee on Aug. 5, Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Dekle Beach on Sept. 26, and Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key on Wednesday night.
Helene dissipated over the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, dumping more than 30 inches of rain in multiiple places. Flooding was catastrophic, arguably the worst storm for North Carolina since Hurricanes Floyd in 1999 and Hazel in 1954 – the latter the only Category 4 hurricane to make landfall on state shores, the former causing a once in 500 years flood.
Estimated to have killed more than 200 and possibly more than 250, only Katrina (2005, deaths 1,392), Audrey (1957, deaths 416) and Camille (1969, deaths 256) killed more people by hurricane since 1950 than Helene.
FEMA, if the bill were to advance into law, would have new authority to “to increase its ability to fund disaster mitigation projects and expand support to homeowners,” a release says.
Additionally, “The bill would also enable FEMA to reimburse states that implement their own innovative post-disaster housing solutions and bolster development of post-disaster solutions for renters. The bill requires FEMA and the Government Accountability Office to complete a series of reports and studies that would identify additional challenges regarding the administration of post-disaster assistance for survivors and boost transparency.”
Context of FEMA aid is important. For example, it’s not insurance to make whole. FEMA programs “are designed to help you move forward in your recovery,” its website says. Home repair grants, in another example, don’t return homes to predisaster condition but do help make basic repairs for safety, that are sanitary, and that are secure.
FEMA is often a punching bag following disasters. Critics say the help is too slow to arrive, has too much red tape, and often repairs are already done or have to be done before it can help. Among the pros are that it can help fill a gap on under-insured damage, sometimes reimbursement claims can be successful even if filed after repairs are done, and it provides grants not loans that do not have to be paid back.
