(IntegrityTimes.com) – In September, Leominster, Massachusetts, suffered from a once-in-200-years storm, which resulted in 11 inches of rainfall in four hours.
The storm caused significant damage, including a sinkhole that swallowed up cars at a local dealership. City council chambers were flooded with sewage. There was roughly $24 million in damage to public infrastructure in Leominster. Despite that, the federal government denied Governor Maura Healey’s request for financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The decision was appealed only to be rejected again.
While the situation in Leominster may be seen as an isolated incident, it is a part of troubling changes in how disasters are being handled by FEMA. They are increasingly denying aid to municipalities while the number of natural disasters requiring aid continues to stack up. The agency has been stretched thin with various catastrophes going back years as well as the expansion of their responsibilities. While originally intended only for emergency assistance for natural disasters, they have been forced in recent years to administer emergency aid for pandemic or migrant related issues.
FEMA’s workload has more than doubled since 2016, and staffing is an ongoing issue. They are currently short about 6,000 workers. Their Disaster Relief Fund is severely depleted, with a looming $7 billion deficit. While Congress must vote to provide FEMA’s disaster relief efforts with the funding it needs, earmarks for unrelated projects often sink bills that otherwise enjoy bipartisan support. If the bill cannot be signed due to attached demands for divisive projects that many will not agree to, state and local governments may have to bear the greater financial burden for disaster preparedness and recovery.
This is already happening in Leominster as the state of Massachusetts has stepped up to provide $5 million in aid to local communities in response to FEMA’s denial of aid. Governor Healey has proposed the creation of a state Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund so that Massachusetts may be better equipped for future natural disasters. The increasing cost of natural disasters has raised some concern among those who lend money to local governments for infrastructure projects. With FEMA stretched thin by their expanded responsibilities and partisan politics disrupting their funding, the need for more reliable disaster recovery and resilience may be necessary.
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