How To Face Hurricane Season And Other Disasters With No FEMA
Fire-affected residents meet with FEMA officials on January 14, 2025 in Pasadena, California, where ... More a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center opened today to help homeowners, renters, businesses and non-profits with their economic recovery. Hot, powerful winds on January 14 threatened to rekindle and whip up major fires that have devastated the hills and suburbs of Los Angeles, killing at last 24 people and changing the face of America's second biggest city forever. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
With FEMA defunded and state programs slashed, individuals and communities must reassess how to prepare for hurricane season and recover in its aftermath. Local strategies, mutual aid, and policy reforms are more important than ever. The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season arrives amid unprecedented shifts in federal disaster management. FEMA, the country's primary emergency response agency, has undergone significant cuts, with several programs suspended or eliminated outright. For communities already on the front lines of climate change, these changes raise urgent questions. Who responds when FEMA doesn't? And how should people prepare now?
How We Got To Hurricane Season With No FEMA
This year, the federal government moved to eliminate or curtail many FEMA grant programs that had long supported community preparedness and disaster recovery. The agency's April press release described the shift as a return to its 'core mission' by ending 'wasteful, politicized grant programs' and prioritizing streamlined disaster response.
But critics see it differently. The Union of Concerned Scientists warned that 'eliminating FEMA will endanger millions,' especially in states with high exposure to climate risks. According to their analysis, the changes appear to be part of a broader effort to politicize disaster aid, disproportionately affecting marginalized and vulnerable populations. As hurricane season intensifies, individuals and communities are left wondering what support will remain if federal resources disappear or never arrive at all.
Hurricane Season With No FEMA - What Preparedness Looks Like Now
Preparedness is not just a federal government function. It can happen at any level and be done by anyone. Here are five practical steps for storm season preparedness, from securing temporary housing to documenting damage for insurance. But when FEMA is no longer a guaranteed safety net, preparation becomes even more local and personal.
Here are a few updated approaches:
As pointed out in an earlier article, 'Hurricane preparedness is no longer just about stocking up—it's about strategizing for longer-term instability.'
A woman buys provisions and non-perishable foods at a supermarket in preparation for the arrival of ... More a hurricane. (Photo by Elizabeth RUIZ / AFP) (Photo by ELIZABETH RUIZ/AFP via Getty Images)
What This Means for States, Cities, And Communities
States now face more pressure to fill the gaps. However, many disaster-prone states already struggle with limited emergency management capacity. A bipartisan proposal introduced in Congress aims to re-establish FEMA's foundational mission and restore the Disaster Relief Fund. But for now, the bill's prospects remain uncertain.
In the meantime, cities are stepping up. Some are investing in localized emergency alert systems and weatherizing community infrastructure. Others are formalizing relationships with nonprofits and businesses to coordinate emergency response more efficiently. Still, without federal coordination, disparities will likely deepen. 'States most vulnerable to extreme weather—especially across the Gulf South—now face this crisis with less federal support than in decades,' noted a recent AP report.
What You Can Still Count On As We Start Hurricane Season With No FEMA
Federal emergency declarations may still activate a limited FEMA response, particularly for large-scale catastrophes. But smaller disasters, or those affecting rural and underserved communities, may fall below the threshold for aid. It's essential to:
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 04: A member of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force ... More searches a flood-damaged property with a search canine in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River on October 4, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. At least 215 people were killed in six states in the wake of the powerful hurricane which made landfall as a Category 4. President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of 1,000 active duty U.S. soldiers to assist with storm relief efforts in what is now the deadliest U.S. mainland hurricane since Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by)
Why These Changes Matter
The shift in FEMA's structure reflects a broader change in how the federal government approaches disaster risk and social protection. Many of the grants now eliminated had supported long-term community resilience, particularly for Indigenous communities, low-income neighborhoods, and climate-exposed regions.
Without those programs, rebuilding is more difficult. But preparation still matters. As one Louisiana resident said after Hurricane Helene, 'We don't wait on FEMA anymore. We check on each other first.'
That sentiment captures both the challenge and the opportunity. In the face of more frequent storms and less federal relief, our greatest resource may be each other.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Drone footage shows immigration detention facility' Alligator Alcatraz' under construction
An immigration detention facility located at an isolated Everglades airfield surrounded by mosquito-, python- and alligator-filled swamplands is just days away from being operational, federal officials said Tuesday. (AP video by Daniel Kozin)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
In 2025, Tornado Alley has become almost everything east of the Rockies — and it's been a violent year
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Violent tornado outbreaks, like the storms that tore through parts of St. Louis and London, Kentucky, on May 16, have made 2025 seem like an especially active, deadly and destructive year for tornadoes. The U.S. has had more reported tornadoes than normal — over 960 as of May 22, according to the National Weather Service's preliminary count. That's well above the national average of around 660 tornadoes reported by that point over the past 15 years, and it's similar to 2024 — the second-most active year over that same period. I'm an atmospheric scientist who studies natural hazards. What stands out about 2025 so far isn't just the number of tornadoes, but how Tornado Alley has encompassed just about everything east of the Rockies, and how tornado season is becoming all year. The high tornado count in 2025 has a lot to do with the weather in March, which broke records with 299 reported tornadoes — far exceeding the average of 80 for that month over the past three decades. March's numbers were driven by two large tornado outbreaks: about 115 tornadoes swept across more than a dozen states March 14-16, stretching from Arkansas to Pennsylvania; and 145 tornadoes hit March 31 to April 1, primarily in a swath from Arkansas to Iowa and eastward. The 2025 numbers are preliminary pending final analyses. While meteorologists don't know for sure why March was so active, there were a couple of ingredients that favor tornadoes: First, in March the climate was in a weak La Niña pattern, which is associated with a wavier and stormier jet stream and, often, with more U.S. tornadoes. Second, the waters of the Gulf were much warmer than normal, which feeds moister air inland to fuel severe thunderstorms. By April and May, however, those ingredients had faded. The weak La Niña ended and the Gulf waters were closer to normal. April and May also produced tornado outbreaks, but the preliminary count over most of this period, since the March 31-April 1 outbreak, has actually been close to the average, though things could still change. What has stood out in April and May is persistence: The jet stream has remained wavy, bringing with it the normal ebb and flow of stormy low-pressure weather systems mixed with sunny high-pressure systems. In May alone, tornadoes were reported in Colorado, Minnesota, Delaware, Florida and just about every state in between. Years with fewer tornadoes often have calm periods of a couple of weeks or longer when a sunny high-pressure system is parked over the central U.S. However, the U.S. didn't really get one of those calm periods in spring 2025. The locations of these storms have also been notable: The 2025 tornadoes through May have been widespread but clustered near the lower and central Mississippi Valley, stretching from Illinois to Mississippi. That's well to the east of traditional Tornado Alley, typically seen as stretching from Texas through Nebraska, and farther east than normal. April through May is still peak season for the Mississippi Valley, though it is usually on the eastern edge of activity rather than at the epicenter. The normal seasonal cycle of tornadoes moves inland from near the Gulf Coast in winter to the upper Midwest and Great Plains by summer. Over the past few decades, the U.S. has seen a broad shift in tornadoes in three ways: to the east, earlier in the year and clustered into larger outbreaks. Winter tornadoes have become more frequent over the eastern U.S., from the southeast, dubbed Dixie Alley for its tornado activity in recent years, to the Midwest, particularly Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana. Meanwhile, there has been a steady and stark decline in tornadoes in the "traditional" tornado season and region: spring and summer in general, especially across the Great Plains. It may come as a surprise that the U.S. has actually seen a decrease in overall U.S. tornado activity over the past several decades, especially for intense tornadoes categorized as EF2 and above. There have been fewer days with a tornado. However, those tornado days have been producing more tornadoes. These trends may have stabilized over the past decade. This eastward shift is likely making tornadoes deadlier. Tornadoes in the Southeastern U.S. are more likely to strike overnight, when people are asleep and cannot quickly protect themselves, which makes these events dramatically more dangerous. The tornado that hit London, Kentucky, struck after 11 p.m. Many of the victims were over age 65. The shift toward more winter tornadoes has also left people more vulnerable. Since they may not expect tornadoes at that time of year, they are likely to be less prepared. Tornado detection and forecasting is rapidly improving and has saved thousands of lives over the past 50-plus years, but forecasts can save lives only if people are able to receive them. This shift in tornadoes to the east and earlier in the year is very similar to how scientists expect severe thunderstorms to change as the world warms. However, researchers don't know whether the overall downward trend in tornadoes is driven by warming or will continue into the future. Field campaigns studying how tornadoes form may help us better answer this question. For safety, it's time to stop focusing on spring as tornado season and the Great Plains as Tornado Alley. Tornado Alley is really all of the U.S. east of the Rockies and west of the Appalachians for most of the year. The farther south you live, the longer your tornado season lasts. Forecasters say it every year for hurricanes, and we badly need to start saying it for tornadoes too: It only takes one to make it a bad season for you or your community. Just ask the residents of London, Kentucky; St. Louis; Plevna and Grinnell, Kansas; and McNairy County, Tennessee. Listen to your local meteorologists so you will know when your region is facing a tornado risk. And if you hear sirens or are under a tornado warning, immediately go to your safe space. A tornado may already be on the ground, and you may have only seconds to protect yourself. This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Massive 'heat dome' is bringing 'extremely dangerous' temperatures to the eastern half of the US
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A major heat wave is set to scorch the central and eastern U.S., with millions of Americans facing potentially record-breaking extreme heat. Temperatures and humidity will rise as much of the country finds itself under a "heat dome," The Associated Press reported. A heat dome occurs when an area of high pressure in the atmosphere traps warm air beneath, effectively like placing a lid on top of a pot. The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that "extremely dangerous" levels of heat are likely over the weekend and into next week, as sunny days, light winds and a lack of overnight cooling worsen high temperatures. "Heat is likely to reach dangerous levels over much of the Central and Eastern U.S.," an NWS representative wrote in a weather update posted on Facebook. "Particular concern exists for the Ohio, Valley, Eastern Great Lakes, Interior South, and much of the East Coast, where the heat will be more persistent." Meteorologists predict that the heat wave will hit the central U.S. between Friday (June 20) and Sunday (June 22), before making its way to the East Coast next week. Temperatures are expected to reach nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) across the central and eastern U.S. (exceeding 100 F in some areas). Affected cities such as Denver, Washington, D.C., and New York City will experience several consecutive days of heat, weather website AccuWeather reported in a forecast. Related: 'Heat is the final boss. Heat is a different beast': The planetary peril no one will be able to avoid "The magnitude and longevity of this heat wave will be a shock to the system," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Chad Merrill said in the forecast. Moist ground will absorb some of the sun's energy, preventing temperatures from exceeding 100 F over much of the affected area. However, the heat will also evaporate this moisture, adding to what are already expected to be humid conditions, according to AccuWeather. The NWS warned the anticipated levels of heat can be dangerous to anyone who doesn't have effective cooling systems or adequate hydration, and is especially risky to people taking part in lengthy outdoor activities. RELATED STORIES —'Above normal' conditions could bring as many as 10 hurricanes to the US this summer — In 2025, Tornado Alley has become almost everything east of the Rockies — and it's been a violent year —'We are creating the fire equivalent of an ice age': Humans have plunged Earth into the 'Pyrocene' Heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense with climate change. That doesn't necessarily mean climate change is responsible for the latest heat wave, but scientists have long predicted that there will be more of these kinds of extreme weather events as the planet warms. Last year was the hottest year for global temperatures since records began, while 2025 has already been marked by a string of record-breaking or near-record-breaking warm months.
