Climate Crisis Forces FEMA to Expand Disaster Aid

An entry in the Federal Register on Monday explicitly notes that new rules pertaining to government disaster assistance have been finalized due to the climate crisis, with the Federal Emergency Management Agency expecting to increase its costs by $512 million per year implementing the policies.

FEMA said it is overhauling its disaster aid rules after outcry from survivors of hurricanes and other extreme weather disasters, with people who have been forced to rebuild their lives reporting that delays in receiving assistance and bureaucratic red tape have worsened their suffering.

As "extreme weather events are increasing in intensity as well as frequency," said FEMA in the interim final rule published in the Federal Register, the agency is expanding eligibility for assistance and reducing the steps survivors will need to go through to get help.

Sunrise Movement, the national climate action campaign that has pushed the Biden administration to declare a climate emergency and "reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency's approval processes for aid," applauded FEMA's announcement.

"The pressure is working," said the group.

Under the new rule, FEMA will expand access to immediate direct payments of $750, which households can get after evacuating their home in the event of flooding, wildfires, and other climate disasters. The agency said renters and people with low incomes will particularly be helped by the rule.

FEMA is also establishing a Displacement Assistance program to provide more financial aid to people who need to stay in hotels or with friends or family.

Survivors will no longer be required to apply for aid from the Small Business Administration before they can get assistance from FEMA. People who are self-employed and who have work equipment that gets lost or damaged in a climate disaster will be eligible for additional aid for replacements, and people whose homes are damaged will be able to more easily access funding to rebuild.

Homes that previously had structural problems like leaky roofs will now be eligible for repair funds, and FEMA will pay for upgrades to help people with disabilities, such as ramps.

People who miss application deadlines will no longer have to document why they were late, reducing paperwork for people whose daily routines have been upended.

"The regulatory changes in this rule seek to add efficiency in the delivery of assistance to survivors by simplifying processes, removing barriers to entry, and increasing eligibility for certain types of assistance under the program," the published rule reads.

FEMA said that in addition to responding to feedback from survivors, it was making the changes because "climate change has elevated the need for the delivery of efficient disaster services."

"Extreme weather events are increasing in intensity as well as frequency," said FEMA. "Sustained changes in climate have exacerbated the physical risks and threats coastal communities are exposed to every day. As climate change threatens to bring more extreme events like increased floods, sea-level rise, and intensifying droughts and wildfires, [it] is our responsibility to better prepare and support communities, families, and businesses before, during, and after disasters."

As planet-heating fossil fuel emissions persist each year, FEMA is spending more from its disaster fund, according to federal data. From 1992-2004, the agency spent about $5 billion each year to respond to hurricanes and other disasters, but between 2005-21, it spent about $12.5 billion per year.

In 2022, the world's costliest climate disaster of the year happened in the U.S.—Hurricane Ian, which cost about $100 billion in damages.

"The troubling reality" behind the news that FEMA is overhauling its assistance programs, said writer Ryan Meehan, is "that without robust cuts to fossil fuels, programs like these will only expand exponentially."

The fact that the Biden administration is acknowledging that the climate crisis is the reason for the expansion, he pointed out, offers the latest reason for President Joe Biden to strengthen his response to the crisis.

"I'm no expert," said Meehan, "but these seem like the conditions for a climate emergency."