Trump’s FEMA cuts leave flood-prone cities scrambling for aid
President Trump’s decision to cancel a major disaster mitigation grant program has left dozens of U.S. cities, from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma, without funding to protect against worsening climate-related disasters.
Thomas Frank reports for E&E News.
In short:
- The Trump administration canceled $4.5 billion in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's BRIC program, which funded local projects aimed at protecting communities from floods and other climate-driven disasters.
- Cities like Scranton, Stillwater, and Crisfield had already planned and approved projects using these funds, which are now stalled or abandoned due to lack of alternative financing.
- While Congress introduced legislation to revive BRIC and make it mandatory, the effort has gained little traction, and the administration has not proposed a clear replacement program.
Key quote:
“It was just a terrible moment where you see a program that is absolutely not political and absolutely not wasteful getting cut.”
— Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton
Why this matters:
Flooding is now the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States, and climate change is making it worse. Intense rainfall events are rising, especially in hilly and low-lying areas, where creeks and rivers can quickly overflow. FEMA’s BRIC program offered one of the few proactive tools to move people out of harm’s way — buying and demolishing homes in flood zones, improving drainage, and reinforcing infrastructure before disaster struck. Without such prevention efforts, communities will be forced to rely on costly emergency relief after damage occurs, deepening the cycle of loss and recovery. Vulnerable populations, especially in rural and low-income areas, are most at risk as funding gaps widen.
Read more: Trump's FEMA freeze delays disaster relief funding for storm-hit communities
