As recovery costs increase, states recognize that they cannot afford to keep rebuilding and are investing in mitigation projects. Projects funded by FEMA, whether through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program (BRIC) or the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), create resilient communities that experience significantly fewer damages caused by extreme weather disasters. If FEMA is eliminated, states will lose access to critical funding and resources for mitigation projects. Instead, the burden of mitigation costs will fall onto state taxpayers as states and localities increase taxes to fund necessary projects. Building resilient infrastructure is increasingly expensive and would be increasingly difficult for state and local budgets to absorb these additional costs without raising taxes that often impact the people who need the help the most. 

 Already, we’re seeing the impacts of FEMA cuts unfold in our Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region:

• In April, a $12 million FEMA grant to the city of Richmond that would have paid for upgrades to its water treatment plant to prevent damage from extreme weather was canceled, putting thousands of people’s access to clean drinking water at risk during the next big storm. 
• Also in April, a $24 million grant from BRIC that would have upgraded the Lake Meade Dam in Portsmouth was cancelled by DHS. Lake Meade provides water to 36,000 households and businesses in Hampton Roads, yet engineers consider the dam to be high-hazard due to its significant need for repair. In recent inspections, engineers determined that in the case of an extreme storm, the dam could fail. With the cancellation of BRIC funding, Portsmouth city leaders have initiated a search for alternative funding sources. 
• In May, Western Maryland’s Allegheny and Garret counties were hit by catastrophic flooding that caused around $33.7 million in damages, up from an earlier assessment amounting to $15.8 million in damage and emergency response costs. In late July, the Trump Administration’s FEMA rejected Governor Wes Moore’s request for federal disaster assistance, claiming that the damages did not meet federal disaster assistance criteria. After appealing, the state’s request was once again rejected. Though the The Maryland Department of Emergency Management was able to provide about $460,000 to Allegany County from the State Disaster Recovery Fund, and the Low Income Energy Assistance Program issued an additional $1 million to Allegany and Garrett counties, the state is still left grappling for funding to provide the funding needed to rebuild. 

Not only are FEMA’s mitigation programs in high demand, but the projects that they fund have consistently demonstrated their success. For example, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, spent $2.36 million to elevate 23 individual homes, $1.5 million of which was provided in grants from FEMA. A loss avoidance study last updated in 2022 found that these efforts avoided at least $2.24 million in damage from Hurricane Isaac in 2012 and at least another $3 million in 2021 during Hurricane Ida. As of 2022, the total cumulative amount of losses avoided due to these mitigation projects is 2.23 times the total cost of the project. Similarly, a study assessing the loss averted by investing in wind-resistant infrastructural upgrades for 64 buildings in Broward County, Florida, found that the county avoided a $10,398,664 loss thanks to prevented damages, indicating a 483% return on investment from the original project cost of $2,151,862. By helping states build countless mitigation projects, FEMA has saved the entire nation millions of dollars. 

How FEMA Can Be Improved

Communities depend on federal disaster relief in times of crisis. While rebuilding after living through a devastating flood, people in need are not interested in what politicians are discussing in Washington; they want to be able to easily apply for aid and be awarded enough funding from the taxes they pay to put their lives back together. To improve FEMA, lawmakers should prioritize passing legislation that would ensure: 

• FEMA’s disaster relief programs are fully funded with adequate staff, guaranteeing immediate and long-term support for disaster survivors.
• The application process for FEMA disaster aid is accessible, easy to use, streamlined, transparent, and understandable to all users.
• Federal disaster aid is deployed based on need, in strict compliance with civil rights laws. 
• All who are displaced by disasters are given safe and secure temporary housing near or within their home community. 
• Disaster relief is supplied safely, equitably, consistently, and understandably to all who are affected, for as long as they need in order to recover housing, jobs, and property. 
• Renters and anyone experiencing homelessness before the disaster quickly get quality, affordable, accessible rental property in safe, quality neighborhoods of their choice.
• All neighborhoods are free from environmental hazards, have quality and accessible public infrastructure, and are safe and resilient.