Monday, September 5, 2011

FEMA funding running dry

From Fox News:

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has money trouble.It has less than $800-million dollars on hand to get through the end of the fiscal year, when ends September 30th. In the federal government's ledger books, that's not much, especially when you consider that the cost of Hurricane Irene may exceed $10-billion, and the federal government will subsidize part of that.

Irene is estimated to top the list of a year of destructive and expensive disasters this year.There were $9-billion in total losses after tornadoes hit the Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest states on April 25-30th. Joplin, Missouri was particularly hard hit in that disaster. About a month later, more tornadoes hit the Midwest/Southeast states causing $7-billion. And then the Southern Plains/Southwest states experience drought, a heatwave, and wildfires in the spring and summer of 2011 costing well over $5-billion.

After assisting with those and other disasters this year, FEMA says it is going to have to postpone some projects that have not been approved for previous disaster clean-up.

FEMA head Craig Fugate said earlier this week, "Going into September, being the peak part of hurricane season, and with Irene, we didn't want to get to the point where we would not have the funds to continue to support the previous impacted survivors as well as respond to the next disaster."

One senior Capitol Hill aide tells Fox that the Obama administration likely will have to ask Congress for more money to fund FEMA's expenses through the end of this fiscal year. And with the economy so tight, that may not be an easy sell.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

did president 0 give $1BILLION plus of taxpayers money for the war in libya ? and our congress was not even consulted.
will libya give us free gasoline ,in return ?

when will his wife stop wasting our taxes ?

when do we get obamacare and the cost of it repealed ?

$500 BILLION WILL BE TAKEN FROM THE SENIOR CITIZENS MEDICARE TO GIVE TO THE ILLEGAL ALIENS.

his obamacare waiver list to his union pals is now up to 1700 . why?

Anonymous said...

In 2014 I will probably get a $6000 tax credit because I only make about $70,000(adjusted gross income) and I pay for my own health insurance ($13,000 annually). I say good job President Obama.

One Billion to overthrow kaddafi.
I say good job President Obama.

Didn't consult Congress. I say good job President Obama. Most of the congress is useless.

Fema is running dry because of the Rupublicans. (Did you see that idiot eric cantor on TV) His rich friends don't need FEMA but will take the taxpayers money every chance they get.

Anonymous said...

So what did we do before FEMA ?

Anonymous said...

FEMA can trace its beginnings to the Congressional Act of 1803. This act, generally considered the first piece of disaster legislation, provided assistance to a New Hampshire town following an extensive fire.

Anonymous said...

In reality it wasn't until Carter that it became the mega-agency it is now.

"President Carter's 1979 executive order merged many of the separate disaster-related responsibilities into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Among other agencies, FEMA absorbed: the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from HUD. Civil defense responsibilities were also transferred to the new agency from the Defense Department's Defense Civil Preparedness Agency.
John Macy was named as FEMA's first director. Macy emphasized the similarities between natural hazards preparedness and the civil defense activities. FEMA began development of an Integrated Emergency Management System with an all-hazards approach that included "direction, control and warning systems which are common to the full range of emergencies from small isolated events to the ultimate emergency - war."

Anonymous said...

F.E.M.A. became heavily used by the federal government in 1993. prior, the states were prominent in disaster relief.

Eisenhower made 106 disaster declarations in two terms,Nixon-212,in 1 & 1/2 terms,Reagan-225 ,in two terms, Clinton & Bush declared less than Obama on an annual basis.

Obama declared disaster relief 375 time in 3 years.(3/4 of a term )

after "katrina" republicans agreed to 10's of billions in relief, but spending should be offset with cuts elsewhere.
in 2005 the national debt was less than $ 8 trillion. today 2011 ,it is $14.6 trillion and increasing rapidly.

Republican, Eric Cantor said,"those monies are not unlimited. and what we have always said is, we've offset that which has already been funded."

he did not say, republicans did not want to provide more disaster relief, he simply insisted that those funds be offset with cuts elsewhere, so we do not add to our nation's dangerously high debt.

the House G.O.P.appropriated an additional $1 billion in relief in 2011 and another $2.65 billion for 2012. THE SENATE (DEM. MAJORITY) REFUSED TO CONSIDER THE PROPOSAL.

"townhall magazine .com by,mike needham ,9/5 2011.

Anonymous said...

Cantor opposed this logic in 2004. Is not RepubCon hypocrisy grand?

Anonymous said...

#7, can you tell us what the republican politicians were guilty of after the "JOHNSTOWN,PA. FLOOD 0f 1896 " ?

2200 citizens were drowned in ten minutes, when the dam gave way in the mountain, because of 14 days of rain.

what were they guilty of ,after the next floods in 1936,1950's etc.etc.etc. ?

we know that Pittsburgh tycoons developed the lake for a playground.were any democrats ?????

Anonymous said...

No idea, Gramps. And you don't know, either.

Anonymous said...

And while you're at it, explain the relevancy of your comment. Cantor cast his vote seven years ago, which makes him a hypocrite today.

Anonymous said...

the Johnstown Flood occurred in 1889.the others were 1936,1977.
records show that 10" of rain fell in 24 hours.the burst dam water took 57 minutes to reach downtown Johnstown, in the valley.

Anonymous said...

Interesting, but it has nothing to do with the hypocrisy of Eric Cantor supporting something that he strongly opposed seven years ago.

Anonymous said...

please detail what Cantor voted against and opposed many years ago ?

do politicians change their minds ? ever ???

Anonymous said...

Cantor voted against "after "katrina" republicans agreed to 10's of billions in relief, but spending should be offset with cuts elsewhere."

Now he supports it. He has a right to change his mind, but that doesn't make it right for him to do so. Ask Chris Christie.

Anonymous said...

in 2004, the national debt was less than $7trillion.

in 2011, the national debt is $14.6 trillion and spiraling upward.

should not concerned politicians/ citizens start cutting the wasteful spending of U.S.revenues ?

Anonymous said...

I think they should be more concerned with saving people from the disaster that has just befallen them as a result of the hurricane.