Originally published PERSPECTIVE: FEMA Reform Council: Some Priorities on by https://www.hstoday.us/featured/perspective-fema-reform-council-some-priorities/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=perspective-fema-reform-council-some-priorities at Homeland Security
Based on public comments and the President’s January 24, 2025, Executive Order, the current Administration seems determined to reform – or abolish – the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Having worked in this space for over 30 years, starting as a GS-7 in July 1993 and ending my career as the agency’s Chief of Staff in June 2013, I am well aware of multiple FEMA program areas that could and should be improved. However, in the spirit of eating the elephant one bite at a time, here are three very big bites that must be addressed sooner rather than later:
- Fully Implement Public Assistance Block Grants: The Public Assistance Grant Program (PA) has been the subject of repeated “re-engineering” efforts since FEMA was formed in 1979. It is far past the time to recognize that the PA implementing regulations, and their reliance on a project-by-project/wall-by-wall/screw-by-screw review and approval process is slow, ineffective, and highly susceptible to subjective eligibility interpretations across the thousands of repair and replacement projects that apply for PA assistance each year. Since the passage of the Disaster Mitigation Act in 2000, FEMA has had some authority to provide states with a block grant to implement the PA program. This authority was re-established under the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013. It is time to go all-in on PA Block Grants. As opposed to working with thousands of applicants and incurring millions of dollars in administrative costs, FEMA’s new role would be to negotiate a “settlement” with the impacted state government. Appropriate uses of the block grant money would be determined by the governor and legislature of the impacted state. FEMA can provide incentives to increase the block grant if the state government agrees to implement disaster mitigation measures or enhance their building codes. What if the state government uses the money in a way that does not benefit disaster-impacted communities? That’s why we have elections.
- Modernize FEMA IT Systems: Many of the complaints levied against FEMA for their lack of responsiveness, inefficiencies, and repeated requests for information from applicants are a direct result of severely outdated IT systems. NEMIS, the system used to process all Individual Assistance (IA) grant cases, has been in operation since 1998. Similarly, FEMA’s financial management system, IFMIS, has been in operation since 1995. Although IFMIS is being modernized at present, its updates will not be in place until at least the second quarter of FY2026. And because it is easier for FEMA to hire disaster-specific staff rather than to obtain annual modernization funds from Congress, the solution to the shortcomings of these IT systems often involves expensive, staff-heavy “work-around” processes. It is far past the time to invest in new FEMA IT systems.
- End the National Flood Insurance Program as We Know It: Imagine trying to obtain a bank loan for a new business venture. Your pitch is that you want to start a health insurance company where all of your policyholders have a pre-existing condition. Do you think you would get the loan? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As of February 10, 2025, the NFIP is currently $22.525 billion in debt, with no hope of ever paying that debt down, as each new, large disaster results in additional NFIP borrowing. To support this program, FEMA spends about $300-400M annually to update the nation’s flood maps (a total of $2.3B between 2014-2020), although it is widely recognized that the existing maps are based on old data and obsolete models. In 2012, Congress added provisions to the NFIP reauthorization legislation to bolster the private flood insurance market (e.g., Progressive, AON Edge). It is time for FEMA to get out of the flood insurance business. At the very least, with respect to new construction, home builders, mortgage lenders and home buyers must take responsibility for their own risk. They must identify the need for and availability of private sector flood insurance prior to building and/or financing, and the eventual purchaser must pay actuarially sound flood insurance premiums as determined by private sector providers. There is no doubt that such an approach will have an impact on new construction and economic development. However, it is the only approach that directs the cost of flood risk at the risk-takers themselves, as opposed to the U.S. taxpayer.
I am not so naïve as to think that these issues will be addressed by President’s Council. More likely, the Council’s recommendations will focus on the parochial issues associated with one disaster, in one part of one state, at one point in time. History has demonstrated that FEMA “reform” is often driven by the perceptions of what went wrong in the most recent disaster (e.g., Hurricane Andrew 1992, Hurricane Katrina 2005).
This is a mistake. It is a mistake because the disasters heretofore experienced by the United States pale in comparison to the consequences of an earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone or the Cascadia Seismic zone. It is a mistake because we continue to believe that government-centric solutions to disaster response and recovery can address the needs of disaster survivors no matter the size and scope of the disaster. Imagine more than one hundred Western North Carolina Helene scenarios happening at the same time, across 5-7 states, and you will begin to understand the magnitude of the threat we face.
True FEMA reform will take time, and it will require substantial investment. It will involve significant statutory, regulatory, and fiscal changes to current programs and disaster relief processes. Most important, it can only happen through the cooperation of the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies who work tirelessly to ensure that services are provided quickly and effectively to the residents of this Nation who are experiencing the worst day of their lives.
Perhaps the President’s Council can begin this process through a comprehensive and honest assessment of what the country needs and deserves from FEMA.
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Originally published PERSPECTIVE: FEMA Reform Council: Some Priorities on by https://www.hstoday.us/featured/perspective-fema-reform-council-some-priorities/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=perspective-fema-reform-council-some-priorities at Homeland Security
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