Proposed Bill Would Expand Federal Disaster Relief

A proposed federal bill would let more communities access federal disaster relief dollars, reports Ysabelle Kempe in Smart Cities Dive.

The bill would allow communities “contiguous with a disaster area” that are not in the same state where a disaster was declared access federal funding.

“The Regional Impact of Disasters and Emergencies Relief, or RIDER, Act would also modify the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s definition of a “major disaster” to include cumulative impacts of disasters over a yearlong period, even if none individually meet the threshold for federal relief,” Kempe adds.

The bill aims to assist communities that are often excluded due to technicalities and eliminate the mismatch between federal disaster relief rules and local conditions. According to the bill, the changes “would improve the distribution of disaster relief funds by recognizing that disasters do not neatly follow county or state lines.”

The legislation acknowledges that the cumulative impacts of repetitive storms in one area can pose the same dangers as major single storms.

However, Kempe points out that FEMA has been struggling to keep up with the demand for assistance. In early August, FEMA began operating on an “immediate needs funding” basis in August before Congress authorized an additional $20 billion to keep the agency operating through the hurricane season.