FEMA

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Dems: Trump's $13B Aid to Puerto Rico Is for Votes

3 years after hurricanes, some say surprise relief package is 'too little and too late'

(Newser) - In 2017, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. It took nearly a year to restore power to the entire island, with a final death toll said to be around 3,000, though Trump has pushed back on that number. Now, three years after the storms, the president is...

Plug In Your Address to See Odds of Flooding
Plug In Your Address
to See Odds of Flooding
the rundown
Jun 29, 2020 10:40 AM CDT

Plug In Your Address to See Odds of Flooding

New database shows federal estimates are way too low

(Newser) - The official stats we use to determine whether our homes are at risk of flooding are woefully out of date and understate the actual danger in a big way, according to a new initiative to set the record straight. Across the US, millions more homes are at risk than government...

GM CEO: 20-Hour Days Sped Up Ventilator Process

First batch will be delivered by end of April

(Newser) - Late last month, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to mandate that General Motors start cranking out ventilators in bulk to help in the fight against the coronavirus. Now GM and Ventec Life Systems, the medical tech firm it's working with, say they'll deliver their first batch...

Report: Pentagon Asked to Provide 100K Body Bags

FEMA request was sent to Defense Department

(Newser) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reportedly asked for 100,000 body bags—enough to deal with fatalities at the lower end of the estimate under the White House's most optimistic coronavirus scenario . Sources tell Bloomberg that FEMA requested the "Human Remains Pouches" as civilian COVID-19 deaths continue...

As Puerto Rico Braces for Dorian, 2 Jabs From Trump

Tropical storm expected to pass over or near the island

(Newser) - Tropical Storm Dorian is threatening Puerto Rico with a direct hit at near-hurricane force on Wednesday and forecasters say it could strengthen further as it approaches the US mainland. The storm is expected to pass over or near Puerto Rico, with landslides, widespread flooding, and power outages possible in what...

Trump Officials Divert FEMA Funds to Border

Disaster relief cash pulled to pay for courtrooms

(Newser) - The Trump administration is shifting money from disaster relief to immigration enforcement—even with Tropical Storm Dorian threatening a direct hit on Puerto Rico. Officials confirmed Tuesday that $271 million in Homeland Security funding is being diverted to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pay for detention beds and temporary courtrooms,...

FEMA Struck by a 'Major Privacy Incident'

Agency disclosed sensitive data of more than 2M disaster survivors, per DHS IG report

(Newser) - Survivors may still be picking up the pieces after the natural disasters that have swept across the country over the past couple of years, and now they have a new issue to contend with: the possibility of identity theft thanks to what the Federal Emergency Management Agency is calling a...

She Insulted Michelle Obama. Now, a Guilty Plea

Pamela Taylor, who called ex-first lady 'ape in heels,' admits taking money from FEMA

(Newser) - "The flood was a natural disaster. Stealing from FEMA is a manmade disaster." Per a DOJ release , that's US Attorney Mike Stuart speaking on the case of Pamela Taylor, a 57-year-old from West Virginia who made headlines in 2016 for calling then-first lady Michelle Obama an "...

FEMA Chief Resigning
FEMA Chief Steps Down
Feb 13, 2019 3:08 PM CST

FEMA Chief Steps Down

Brock Long resigning

(Newser) - The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is resigning, months after an investigation found he misused government vehicles to travel to his home in North Carolina. Brock Long said in a letter Wednesday to agency employees that he was resigning to spend more time with his family, the AP...

Trump Had Warned California. Today, Another Shot Fired

President says he's cutting off FEMA money unless state gets 'act together, which is unlikely'

(Newser) - When President Trump demanded California get its wildfires in check , he apparently meant business. "Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forrest fires that, with proper Forrest Management, would never happen," Trump said in a Wednesday tweet, ultimately replaced with one in which "...

Americans Can't Opt Out of Today's 'Presidential Alert'

Message from Trump will be sent to all cellphones

(Newser) - A text message from President Trump will be sent to more than 200 million US cellphones in a test starting at 2:18pm Eastern on Wednesday—but officials stress that the president won't be texting Americans on a regular basis. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says the "Presidential...

FEMA Chief Brock Long Could Face Federal Charges

Investigators want to know if he misused taxpayer money

(Newser) - A probe into President Trump's FEMA chief has been referred to prosecutors. The Wall Street Journal reports that it's now up to them to decide whether federal criminal charges will be brought against Brock Long, who potentially broke "multiple laws" when he and two officials took...

Americans Are About to Get a Text From Trump

It's part of a FEMA test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System

(Newser) - On Thursday at 2:18pm Eastern, chances are that you'll get a text from President Trump. But rather than urging you to make America great again, his missive will read: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed." Its the...

FEMA Chief Nearly Got Fired as Hurricane Brewed

Probe into Brock Long looks at travel expenses and other issues

(Newser) - With Hurricane Florence rolling in, FEMA Administrator Brock Long was close to getting fired—and still could be, the Wall Street Journal reports. Investigators working for the Department of Homeland Security inspector general have already warned the White House about Long taking a caravan of federal workers on his trips...

Trump Won't Back Down From Denial of Hurricane Death Toll

President's Friday tweetstorm praised FEMA, railed against Puerto Rico death toll from Hurricane Maria

(Newser) - President Trump spent much of Friday evening digging into a claim he'd made the previous day that spurred instant backlash. On Thursday, Trump accused Democrats of inflating the death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria, which a recent George Washington University report updated from 64 to 2,975....

Most Americans Will Get the Same Text Next Thursday

You can't opt out out of this 'Presidential Alert'

(Newser) - You may hear a bit of noise next Thursday afternoon after lunch, and you can thank FEMA and the FCC. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the two agencies are pushing out a "Presidential Alert" test to nearly every cellphone in the nation Sept. 20 to "assess the operational readiness...

Former FEMA Official Accused of Disturbing Behavior

Corey Coleman allegedly harassed subordinates, hired frat brothers

(Newser) - The conduct of FEMA's former personnel chief was definitely sleazy and possibly criminal, according to a damning internal investigation seen by the Washington Post and the AP . Corey Coleman—who resigned weeks ago, before the investigation concluded—allegedly sexually harassed subordinates, hired unqualified fraternity brothers and women he met...

They're FEMA's Elite Rescuers, Yet Some Do Little Rescuing

Bureaucracy, too much gear, and other inefficiencies are marring response efforts

(Newser) - They're called the "national Swiss Army knife of emergency response," teams of highly trained first responders sent by FEMA across the US when disaster strikes. But when hurricanes pummeled Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico last summer, many of the thousands deployed via the agency's National Urban...

One-Person Firm Got $156M FEMA Deal. It Didn't End Well

Contractor was supposed to provide 30M meals to Puerto Rico, managed just 50K

(Newser) - Another government contract to provide relief to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria is coming under scrutiny. The reasons, as spelled out in the New York Times , are pretty clear: FEMA awarded a one-woman company out of Atlanta—a firm that had zero experience in large-scale disasters—a $156 million contract...

San Juan Mayor on FEMA Cutoff: 'There Is Need Still'

Members of Congress implore agency not to halt aid to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico

(Newser) - FEMA's plans to halt hurricane relief supplies to Puerto Rico effective Jan. 31 drew criticism Tuesday from members of Congress and the mayor of the island's largest city. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz said many people in the US territory need the water and food they've...

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