White House rejects Maryland's request for disaster assistance after flooding in May, Gov. Moore says
The governor requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration in June to aid in the recovery effort after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM) found that it could cost nearly $15.8 million.
"These communities demonstrated a clear need through FEMA's own process, and Maryland will appeal the decision to seek all available resources to support the recovery efforts," the governor said Wednesday.
Flash flooding on May 13 damaged more than 200 homes and affected businesses, roads and public utilities. People were rescued from flooded schools, and some were trapped overnight during power outages.
According to the governor's office, the heavy rainfall caused Georges Creek to overflow into several nearby towns.
Local, state and federal responders aided in rescue efforts after a State of Emergency was declared.
Following FEMA assessments, Gov. Moore said the recovery effort would be beyond the capacity of state and local agencies.
"After a thorough assessment of the damage, it's clear that additional support is necessary," he said in announcing the request.
A Presidential Disaster Declaration would allow Maryland to receive help from FEMA. It would also allow the state to request access to funding that could support infrastructure repairs and fixes to publicly owned facilities.
"The addition of much-needed federal assistance is necessary to get those affected back to their regular lives and to allow those communities to fully recover in months instead of years," MDEM Secretary Russ Strickland said in announcing the request.
According to the governor's office, the estimated $15.8 million cost for recovery surpasses FEMA's threshold for disaster assistance, which in Allegany County is $321,460. In Maryland, that threshold is $11.6 million.
"Historically, if the joint damage assessment process demonstrates eligible costs over and above the county and state indicator, disaster assistance has been awarded by the President," Gov. Moore said.
The governor said he plans to appeal the decision.
Since taking office, President Trump has claimed FEMA is unsuccessful and has suggested changes to the agency.
He signed an executive order that he said would "begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA," though that action would need approval from Congress.
In June, the administration said it wanted to "wean" states off of FEMA aid after the 2025 hurricane season.
The administration indicated that governors would be in a better position to respond to disasters in their states.
"We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level — a little bit like education, we're moving it back to the states," Mr. Trump said.
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CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Southern California community pleading for help after Trump Administration pulls federal funding
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Politico
4 hours ago
- Politico
Officials pass on pointing fingers after Texas floods
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The Hill
5 hours ago
- The Hill
Bipartisan lawmakers propose making FEMA a cabinet-level agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be a cabinet-level agency that reports directly to the president under a new bipartisan bill. The proposal, comes as the Trump administration weighs changes at or even abolishing the emergency management agency. The new legislation from Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) and Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) would make FEMA directly answer to the president rather than keeping it under the Department of Homeland Security. While the bipartisan legislation rejects calls to eliminate the agency, it does allow some responsibilities to be delegated to states, as the Trump administration has called for. For example, states would be allowed in handling small disasters to request a lump-sum payment for estimated damages rather than going through a separate supplemental grant program. The bill also has various other provisions including the creation of a single assistance application that lawmakers say will streamline the process and cut down on paperwork. 'This bill does more than any recent reforms to cut through the bureaucracy, streamline programs, provide flexibility, and return FEMA to its core purpose of empowering the states to lead and coordinating the federal response when it's needed,' Graves said in a written statement. 'The solution is not to tear FEMA down – it's to work across the aisle to build FEMA up,' said Stanton. 'This bipartisan bill takes common-sense steps to streamline the agency and make sure communities get disaster assistance quickly, efficiently and fairly.' The bill's formal announcement comes one day after FEMA's acting head testified before Congress and did not say whether the administration wants to get rid of the agency. It's not entirely clear whether the bill will ultimately be taken up by the House's GOP leadership or whether it would receive Senate support.
