The Politics of Funding Climate Disasters 

Environment Policy #175| By: Allie Amato | October 24, 2024
Featured Photo: bloomberg.com

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Back in the 80s, the United States on average faced what would now total a billion-dollars in natural disaster relief about every four months. The latest estimates from The Fifth National Climate Assessment find that our country is hit with a billion-dollar disaster every three weeks. Many experts point to climate change exacerbating these major disasters, making them more frequent, deadly, and devastating. On the heels of Hurricane Helene and Milton tearing through the Southeastern coast, a recent analysis shows exactly that. The record heat in the Gulf of Mexico reportedly increased Helene’s rainfall by 10% and intensified the damaging winds by 11%. Helene left 220 people dead while the impact of Milton killed at least 11. So many lives have already been lost, so much infrastructure reduced to rubble, and lawmakers have dedicated so little funding to mitigate the growing pile of natural disasters. While a short-term spending bill that included funding for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) successfully passed through the House and Senate ahead of Helene, it’s important to note that 100 Republican members of Congress voted to block it. Several Democrats in Congress even elected not to vote at all.  

In the lead-up to, and aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Milton, we’ve seen public officials politicizing climate disasters. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris have been sparring in the media over DeSantis’ office rejecting Harris’ attempt to reach him following Helene. Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump has been spreading misinformation about the Biden Administration’s storm response. Among Trump’s false claims are that FEMA’s funding is spent because all their money went to programs for immigrants, and that the government is withholding aid to Republican disaster victims. Meantime, Congress is quietly recessing amidst this chaos and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said last weekend he has no intentions of calling Congress back in session despite recent major natural disasters. Johnson says they already gave FEMA $20 billion, that should suffice, right? Well, not according to top budget advisers to President Biden, who previously predicted the country would need to ante up $128 billion in new spending each year to respond to climate emergencies such as this. 

First, the good news is that the Biden Administration has approved $441 million in assistance to Helene survivors and $349 million to help rebuild communities. So far, FEMA has mobilized 600 staff members including search and rescue teams and disaster response units across Florida. The government has also approved 100% reimbursement for debris removal efforts for the next three months, but it’s also a job that DeSantis believes will take a year to fix.  

The bad news is that these are merely temporary solutions. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says FEMA can meet “immediate needs” following both storms, but the agency ultimately lacks enough funding to make it through the rest of hurricane season which concludes at the very end of November.  The fact of the matter is, that the increase and severity of climate disasters must be addressed  with additional resources and  long-term, thoughtful solutions. Our nation also needs more lawmakers who understand the dire straits our environment is in. If Congress refuses to address before the election the impact human-made climate change has on these disasters, then it’s our civic duty to elect those who will take the action that’s needed.  

 


 

Engagement Resources
  • Register to vote because the entire House of Representatives and 34 Senate seats are up for election this year.  
  • Americares is providing rush emergency relief to survivors of Hurricane Helene and Milton. Just a $10 donation can provide up to $200 in aid. 
  • Center for Disaster Philanthropy has responded throughout the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and provides both immediate/long term assistance. 

 

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