Tylertown, Michigan (AP) — Survivors of major US natural disasters say they will have to wait longer to get federal assistance. New Associated Press Analysis Of decades of data.
On average, it took less than two weeks for the governor to request a major disaster declaration recognized by the president in the 1990s and early 2000s. It has increased to about three weeks under both presidents over the past decade. It has taken an average of more than a month so far during President Donald Trump’s current term, the Associated Press found.
Delays mean that individuals will have to wait for federal assistance for daily living expenses, temporary accommodation and repairs to their home. Delays in the disaster declaration could also hinder recovery efforts by local officials, making it unclear whether they will receive a federal rebate for cleaning debris and rebuilding infrastructure. The AP worked with Mississippi and the Mississippi Free Press today on the impact of these delays in this report.
The federal government plays a major role after disasters
Americans Expect government help after disaster. According to a poll from the poll, around three-quarters of people hope that the US government will play a major role in providing assistance to the community and helping them rebuild after natural disasters. Associated Press-NORC Civil Service Research Center.
Federal Emergency Management Agency In many cases, communities help coordinate immediate disaster response. However, direct payments to individuals, nonprofits and local governments Major Disaster Declaration From the president who must first receive a request from a state, territory, or tribe.
Major disaster declarations are intended solely for the most harmful events that go beyond the resources of state and local governments. In such cases, FEMA provides two general categories of assistance to individuals and public entities. The President may approve disaster aid for either or both purposes. Requests adjusted through the state are approved by county, depending on the level of damages and needs.
How long does it take to declare a major disaster?
Since taking office in January, Trump has approved more than 20 major disaster declarations. The average wait increased from a 24-day delay during his first term, nearly four times the average for former Republican President George H.W. Bush, whose term of office from 1989 to 1993 coincided with the implementation of new federal law setting parameters for disaster decisions.
Regardless of the party in power, delays have grown over time. Former Democratic President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for an average of 26 days in office last year.
Powerful Storm System It affected a wide range of the South, Central and Eastern United States. Here is an example of a recent delay declaration. After the tornado attacked on March 15, Mississippi Governor requested a federal disaster declaration on April 1. Trump granted the request 50 days later on May 21.
That same day, Trump also approved eight other major disaster declarations regarding storms, floods or fires. In seven other states. In most cases, it has been about two or more months since these requests and from the date of those disasters.
What causes the time to take to declare a disaster?
“President Trump will provide a more thorough review of the disaster declaration requests than the administration before him,” White House spokesman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. She said she wanted to ensure that Trump spends taxes wisely on supplementing the state’s response to disasters, rather than replacing it.
Others familiar with FEMA have found that the process of assessing and documenting natural disasters has become more complicated over time, and disasters are More frequent and intense In a changing climate.
As the Trump administration abandoned thousands of workers and took on an ambitious federal transformation that revisited the role of FEMA, awaiting a disaster declaration has skyrocketed. a Recently published letters We warned from current and former FEMA employees that the cut could be debilitating if faced with disasters on the scale of the scale. Hurricane Katrinaattacked 20 years ago.
Delayed Disaster Declaration is affecting your life
Budian Thony of Mississippi took shelter in a new pickup truck parked under his carport when a windy tornado hit Tylertown, up to 140 mph (225 kph). The tornado destroyed his home and injured his truck. As he was waiting for assistance from the Federal Disaster Declaration, Anthony was sleeping in a second-hand truck he bought as a replacement.
According to Anthony, his home was uninsured and FEMA ultimately gave him $30,000. But if federal aid becomes available sooner, Anthony said he would have to sleep that long in his truck before he could afford to rent a trailer home.
Historically, according to an AP analysis, presidential disaster declarations, including individual assistance, have been approved more quickly than those that provide assistance exclusively to public agencies. Declaring both types of support takes longer, but that remains an incident under Trump.
Utilities are also affected by federal aid delays
Unlike individual assistance programs that prepay cash, FEMA’s public assistance programs will only refund government agencies after the bill is paid.
The process can take months or years, so delays in the presidential disaster declaration may have little impact when local governments are ultimately refunded. However, delays in approval can still have consequences. Long waits can stimulate uncertainty and lead local officials to reduce recovery efforts.
Walsall County, Mississippi, which includes Tylertown, initially spent about $700,000 cleaning up debris. However, the county could no longer afford to spend, without guaranteeing that he would receive a federal refund under the Disaster Declaration, so he stopped cleaning for more than a month. In the meantime, tile bleaches from split trees and crushed homes remained stacked along the roadside, creating dangerous obstacles to snake and rodent drivers and habitat, said county emergency manager Royce McKee.
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Reeve reported Wildman from Jefferson City, Missouri, and from Hartford, Connecticut.
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