US President Donald Trump’s suggestion to eliminate or restrict the activities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could severely impact emergency response even at the state level, the former chief said. from FEMA Deanne Criswell to CNN.
“We need to take him at his word, and I think state emergency management directors should be concerned about what this means for the spring tornado season” and the hurricane season in the future, Criswell warned.
“They [governadores] Do they have the resources to protect their residents?” he asked.
Criswell, who was head of FEMA during Joe Biden’s administration, said there are many misunderstandings about the agency’s functions.
It assigns certain tasks, such as clearing debris, to other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has cleared debris in recent disasters including Hurricane Helene and the Maui wildfires. States cannot activate these features on their own.
“This coordination piece that FEMA leads is one of the most critical roles we play in stabilizing these incidents,” Criswell said.
In addition to helping pay for recovery and reconstruction after a disaster, the agency also reimburses states and municipalities for searches and rescues that were carried out immediately after disasters.
“FEMA is footing the bill for these very capable teams,” Criswell pointed out, noting that the agency helped fund local first responders who did search and rescue after Hurricane Helene, as well as sniffer dog teams after the deadly Maui fires.
If states lost this FEMA funding, they would have to get the money elsewhere, the former chief warned.
FEMA is still helping to shelter people who lost their homes after Helene.
“If we abolish FEMA and we have people in hotels needing places to stay, does that stop? Who is taking responsibility?” he asked.
This content was originally published in Former head of US emergency agency warns against the end of the agency on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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