Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said he’s unsure if FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has the appropriate funds if another hurricane hits.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have, we are expecting another hurricane hitting. We do not have the funds. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) does not have the funds to make it through the season,” Mayorkas said.

BBC reports:

He says it’s not a political issue, and that there must be funding to deal with future events. “These extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity,” Mayorkas says.

There is currently a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico which the National Hurricane Center says has a 40% chance of developing into a hurricane in the next week.

And Hurricane Kirk has formed east of the Caribbean, but at this stage its predicted path will not make landfall in the US.

The secretary’s remarks follow the federal government sending billions of dollars to Ukraine and Israel.

Per FEMA:

For Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will provide $640.9 million of available funds to enable non-federal entities to off-set allowable costs incurred for services associated with noncitizen migrant arrivals in their communities.

The funding will be distributed through two opportunities, $300 million through SSP – Allocated (SSP-A) and $340.9 million through SSP – Competitive (SSP-C).

Mayorkas said the recovery effort from Hurricane Helene would be a long and extensive road ahead.

“The rebuilding is something that is not for today but is something that is going to be extraordinarily costly and is going to be a multiyear enterprise,” Mayorkas said at a White House briefing Tuesday, according to Roll Call.

From Roll Call:

FEMA spokesperson Daniel Llargués told reporters Tuesday that the agency is in a “good position” at the moment to respond to Helene, noting that it lifted “immediate needs funding” status, which diverts available funds to only the highest-priority activities. The agency received nearly $20.3 billion on Tuesday, the first day of fiscal 2025, under the stopgap funding package Biden signed last week.

“We don’t want in any way, shape or form for anybody to think that FEMA is not well-positioned and ready to support our state partners but, most importantly, individuals that were impacted in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina,” Llargués said. “We have funds, we have staff and commodities ready to be deployed where needed, as needed.”

Lifting INF status means the agency could tap into the newly available funding for some $8 billion worth of longer-term relief projects dating back to prior disasters.

Still, there appears to be a sense that the latest cash infusion for FEMA’s disaster relief fund is enough to tide the agency over until the lame-duck session, when Congress could tackle a new supplemental aid package. The new stopgap bill’s expiration date is Dec. 20, which lines up with Congress’ target adjournment date for the session.

Mayorkas on Monday referred to initial search-and-rescue and response efforts as a “multibillion-dollar undertaking,” without putting a specific figure on it or a timeline on when additional funds will be needed.

 

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