Mayorkas: FEMA Lacks Funding for Season10/03 06:05

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet 
immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the 
hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters 
Wednesday.

   The agency is being stretched as it works with states to assess damage from 
Hurricane Helene and delivers meals, water, generators and other critical 
supplies. The storm struck Florida last week, then plowed through several 
states in the Southeast, flooding towns and killing more than 160 people.

   Mayorkas was not specific about how much additional money the agency may 
need, but his remarks on Air Force One underscored concerns voiced by President 
Joe Biden and some lawmakers earlier this week that Congress may need to pass a 
supplemental spending bill this fall to help states with recovery efforts.

   "We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are 
expecting another hurricane hitting," Mayorkas said. "FEMA does not have the 
funds to make it through the season."

   Hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but most hurricanes typically occur 
in September and October.

   Congress recently replenished a key source of FEMA's response efforts, 
providing $20 billion for the agency's disaster relief fund as part of a 
short-term government spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 20. The 
bill also gave FEMA flexibility to draw on the money more quickly as needed.

   Both chambers of Congress are scheduled, however, to be in their home states 
and districts until after the election, as lawmakers focus on campaigning.

   House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., gave no hint he was considering changing 
that schedule during a speech Tuesday. He said that Congress just provided FEMA 
with the funds it needs to respond and that lawmakers would make sure those 
resources are appropriately allocated.

   A bipartisan group of Senators from affected states wrote their leadership 
this week saying it's clear Congress must act to meet constituents' needs. They 
said that may even require Congress to come back in October, ahead of the 
election.

   Mayorkas made his comments as Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris fanned 
out across the Southeast to witness the damage from the hurricane and seek to 
demonstrate commitment and competence in helping devastated communities. Biden 
is heading to North and South Carolina, while Harris is going to Georgia.

   More than 150,000 households have registered for assistance with FEMA, and 
that number is expected to rise rapidly in the coming days, said Frank 
Matranga, an agency representative.

   The devastation was especially severe in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where at 
least 57 people died in and around Asheville, North Carolina, a tourism haven 
known for its art galleries, breweries and outdoor activities.

   "Communities were wiped off the map," North Carolina's governor, Roy Cooper, 
said at a news conference Tuesday.