Washington, D.C.—The following are opening remarks from Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV) during today’s hearing titled, “In the Eye of the Storm: Oversight of FEMA’s Disaster Readiness and Response.”
Video of Larsen’s and Titus’ opening statements are here and here.
More information on the hearing can be found here.
Ranking Member Larsen:
Thank you, Subcommittee Chairman Perry and Subcommittee Ranking Member Titus, for calling today’s hearing on FEMA’s readiness and response to recent disasters.
The devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the Southeast and Appalachia is gut wrenching.
Over 200 individuals lost their lives to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and these storms have left over $170 billion of damage in their wakes.
Damage to water infrastructure in western North Carolina was so severe that much of the region still does not have drinkable tap water.
To aid affected communities, the Administration approved major disaster declarations for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
The recovery will take a lot of work and we are ready to provide the resources needed.
I am grateful Representatives Edwards and Castor are here to share what they have seen on the ground in their districts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
I think they, along with the rest of Congress, agree that we must focus on passing a disaster supplemental immediately. Without funding, federal agencies including FEMA and the Small Business Administration cannot fulfill their missions and help disaster survivors.
For over a month, the Small Business Administration disaster fund has been empty. In that time, the applications of over 11,000 survivors have been approved for disaster loan assistance, but they won’t receive any money until Congress makes more funding available.
This isn’t a new problem. Congress has failed to approve critical long-term recovery funds for disasters in 2023 and 2024 that occurred in 21 states ranging from Alabama and Arkansas to Texas, Vermont, and Washington State.
FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund is once again approaching concerningly low levels, with less than $5 billion remaining.
Disaster survivors shouldn’t be left wondering if promised disaster aid is coming. After losing everything, families should be focused on rebuilding their lives, not worrying about congressional dysfunction.
I call on the Speaker to schedule a vote for Congress to consider President Biden’s $100 billion disaster supplemental request as soon as possible.
In the wake of such catastrophic disasters, it is important for Congress and FEMA to take stock of the lessons learned.
The misinformation that has circulated after recent disasters is creating barriers to recovery and putting disaster relief workers at risk.
The presence of misinformation after disasters is not new. After Hurricane Katrina, false reports of widespread looting bred chaos and led to the tragic shooting of civilians.
After the Maui wildfires, bogus claims that the federal government would steal survivors’ land were widely circulated, harming those in need of assistance.
However, false rumors following Hurricane Helene, especially in North Carolina, were described by Administrator Criswell as the worst misinformation she has ever heard.
These rumors created distrust in the federal government, resulted in armed threats against FEMA workers in the field and has caused some survivors to refuse federal assistance.
The spread of misinformation on social media after disasters is increasing.
And this Committee needs to work with FEMA to find solutions that can contain this phenomenon in the future.
I am disappointed that the President-elect amplified misinformation by falsely claiming FEMA spent all of their funding on housing undocumented migrants.
He also said FEMA would only provide $750 to disaster survivors who lost everything, which, again, is false.
To set the record straight, disaster survivors may be eligible for up to $42,500 of home repair assistance and $42,500 of other needs assistance from FEMA.
Reports following Helene and Milton indicate that it is still too difficult for survivors to access FEMA assistance.
First, the lack of a universal application for federal disaster assistance means survivors may have to complete separate applications for several federal agencies to receive the assistance they are entitled to.
That is why this Committee supports Ranking Member Titus and Rep. Garret Graves’ bipartisan bill to create a universal application for federal disaster assistance.
Second, I am troubled by reports that 47 percent of calls made to FEMA during the week of October 14-20 were not answered and that, of the more than 260,000 survivors that registered for FEMA assistance in North Carolina, nearly 50 percent have been denied.
Difficulty accessing FEMA assistance is not unique to this disaster. The Government Accountability Office conducted nationwide interviews about disaster responses occurring between 2016 and 2020. They found that FEMA regularly faces challenges managing its call center and field staff.
FEMA often responds to high denial rates by saying survivors can appeal their award decision. That is not an adequate response nor is it an adequate solution. Eligible survivors should only have to fill out one application for FEMA assistance.
It is this Committee’s intent to make accessing FEMA aid simple and easy.
Finally, I want to thank Administrator Criswell for her service to this country as the first female FEMA Administrator and for all of the positive policies she has implemented during her tenure.
Thank you all for being here. I look forward to your testimony.
Ranking Member Titus:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank our witnesses for joining us today, including my colleagues Reps. Edwards and Castor, whose communities are among the many that have been impacted by this year’s deadly and devastating hurricane season.
As I have said time and time again, climate change and its related severe weather events have changed the disaster landscape and strained capacity for all levels of government to respond. What’s more is that data shows these disasters are becoming more expensive and have a greater impact on our communities than ever before. While we still await exact figures, preliminary estimates show that the combined price tag for just Hurricanes Milton and Helene will eclipse $90 billion.
So far this year, FEMA has provided assistance for 89 Presidentially declared emergencies and major disasters including those covering hurricanes, wildfires, landslides, and tornadoes.
One of the main sources for providing support to disaster-stricken communities is FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) which funds repair and restoration of public infrastructure, supports hazard mitigation initiatives, and provides financial assistance to disaster survivors. When the program is nearing depletion, however, it enters Immediate Needs Funding (INF) which pauses all DRF-funded projects which are not life-saving operations. Since 2001, INF has been implemented ten times, the most recent being August of this year.
The current Continuing Resolution provides $20 billion in budget authority for the DRF, so FEMA is no longer operating under INF. We know, however, these funding challenges will continue as fewer than $5 billion currently remains in the DRF. That is why President Biden submitted a $100 billion supplemental request to Congress yesterday, which includes $40 billion for FEMA. Congress must pass a supplemental to sufficiently fund the DRF so FEMA can continue to support ongoing recovery efforts, as well as address those that will undoubtedly emerge in the future.
We also need to provide solutions for survivors and communities to recover more quickly and to ensure resources are being deployed fairly. One of those solutions is my Disaster Survivors Fairness Act, which I introduced with my colleagues Congressman, Garret Graves, Congressman Troy Carter, and Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, and has the support of my colleague Congressman Chuck Edwards who is testifying today. One of the most important aspects of this bill, which already passed this Committee unanimously at the beginning of the Congress, is simplifying the process for seeking assistance following a major disaster by creating a universal relief application across federal agencies so that we can ease the burden on families and small businesses after what might have been the worst days of their lives.
In this Committee, we have held numerous hearings on the challenges faced by FEMA’s workforce, and I look forward to discussing those today. As we move forward, however, we must also acknowledge the impact misinformation has on the ability to respond to these events. I was disgusted with the ridiculous rumors that were floating around cautioning people that the government was going to bulldoze over stricken communities, seize homes, and that FEMA was diverting disaster aid to other programs. To those who permeated these claims, shame on you!
I was also outraged to learn that a FEMA employee directed her disaster survivor assistance team to skip helping homes with Trump signs. I firmly condemn that employee’s decision; FEMA should never discriminate when providing disaster aid. Administrator Criswell immediately did the right thing when she learned of this incident – the employee was fired and the case referred to the Office of Special Counsel.
To my colleagues testifying today, and to Administrator Criswell, we recognize the challenges you are facing, and this committee wants to do everything it can to aid with your recovery efforts. I look forward to your testimony and I yield back.
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