FEMA

National

When disaster strikes, these good boys and girls are your rescue crew

4:43pm November 03, 2023

FEMA has 280 certified detection dogs trained to find people in disasters, and it has another 80 that look for human remains. And they are the goodest boys and girls.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell (left) along with NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson (right) signed an agreement this week outlining ways in which the two organizations will work together to center equity in disaster preparedness and response efforts.

NAACP signs agreement with FEMA to advance equity in disaster resilience

2:46pm September 22, 2023

by Jonathan Franklin

As part of the collaborative effort, the NAACP's Emergency Management Task Force will regularly meet with FEMA to advance its progress on equity within disaster preparedness.

The White House has asked Congress for $44 billion in emergency funding to help cover costs of the war in Ukraine, recent natural disasters, and operations at the southern U.S. border.

Politics & Government

The White House wants $44 billion in emergency funding. Here's what that covers

5:00am September 06, 2023

by Tamara Keith

The White House has asked Congress for emergency funding for Ukraine, disaster recovery, and the border. The package would be tied to a broader deal to keep the government running.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden view damage caused by wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 21, 2023. The president is expected to travel to see hurricane damage Florida on Saturday.

Politics & Government

After recent disasters, the White House says FEMA needs more money

10:06am September 01, 2023

by Tamara Keith

The Federal Emergency Management Agency needs $16 billion in emergency funding, the White House says. That's up $4 billion from a request it made last month, due to recent disasters.

Floodwater surrounds a house on September 01, 2021 in Jean Lafitte, Louisiana. Hurricane Ida made landfall as a powerful Category 4 bringing flooding and wind damage along the Gulf Coast.

National

Ten states and scores of local governments sue FEMA over higher flood insurance rates

7:08pm June 01, 2023

by Debbie Elliott

The states - from the Gulf Coast, the west and Midwest - along with dozens of municipalities are trying to block rate hikes under the National Flood Insurance Program.

This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard shows the typhoon closing in on Tumon Bay, Guam on Tuesday.

National

A typhoon just lashed Guam. What does federal relief look like for a U.S. territory?

10:33am May 24, 2023

by Rachel Treisman

Guam still faces dangerous winds and flash floods as the powerful storm moves away from the island. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero spoke to Morning Edition about damage so far and federal help on the way.

Queue Listen Now

Pews were marked off to encourage social distancing at a funeral home in Temple, Penn., in March of 2021, around the time the Delta variant began to take hold in the United States.

Few eligible families have sought federal payment of COVID funeral expenses

5:01am May 09, 2022

by Blake Farmer

FEMA has a pool of cash set aside to reimburse burial costs — even retroactively — to the families of COVID victims. But clerical challenges and slow outreach have stymied the application process.

FEMA Sends Three Temporary Ambulance Crews To Guilford County

10:35am September 28, 2021

by Neal Charnoff

Guilford County emergency service crews are getting some temporary assistance from the federal government.

Homes that were sold by the Department of Housing and Urban Development between January 2017 and August 2020 are in federally designated flood zones at almost 75 times the rate of all homes sold nationwide in that period. New Jersey is one hot spot. Here,

Science

The Federal Government Sells Flood-Prone Homes To Often Unsuspecting Buyers, NPR Finds

4:04pm September 13, 2021

The Department of Housing and Urban Development disproportionately sells homes in flood-prone areas, NPR finds. Housing experts warn that this can lead to big losses for vulnerable families.

A test of the emergency alert systems, like this one from 2018 showing a "Presidential Alert" message, is planned Wednesday at 2:20 p.m. ET on televisions, radios and some cellphones across the U.S.

National

Your Radio, TV And Cellphone May Start Blaring Today. Do Not Be Alarmed

2:01pm August 11, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will be testing two emergency alert systems on televisions, radios and certain cellphones across the country.