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2018 Hurricane Michael. Credit: YouTube.
WASHINGTON President Joe Biden is doubling the amount of federal funding to help states prepare for natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, he announced Monday.
His administration is directing $1 billion to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which sends resources to communities, states, and tribal governments to prepare for extreme weather.
Those federal dollars will be part of an effort to shift the focus from reactive disaster spending to proactive investments that boost community resilience against bad weather, according to the White House.
“We’re going to spare no expense, no effort to keep Americans safe and respond to crises when they arise, and they certainly will,” Biden said Monday as he visited the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced it would double funding for state projects that would help prepare for weather-related natural disasters. Maryland hopes the additional resources can combat flooding across the state.
The $1 billion in spending through the Federal Emergency Management Agency would funnel through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC program, which helps states develop projects to prepare for and reduce risks from disasters and natural hazards, The Associated Press reported.
“For the BRIC program, we are looking to do a lot of flood mitigation,” said Chas Eby, Maryland Emergency Management Agency deputy executive director.
Flooding is the most damaging natural disaster event for the state. Flash flooding wrecked many areas in Prince George’s County and across southern Maryland last year. In 2016 and 2018, Ellicott City endured two historic floods.
May 25, 2021 Share
Ahead of what is forecast to be an above-normal hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin, the U.S. government is doubling funding to prepare communities for such storms or other extreme weather events.
“We have to be ready when disaster strikes,” President Joe Biden said on a visit to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters Monday afternoon.
“Today’s briefing is a critical reminder that we don’t have a moment to lose in preparing for 2021,” the president said at FEMA, just prior to being briefed on this year’s hurricane season.
Biden also noted the risks from wildfires in California and other Western states.
Biden: FEMA doubles hurricane preparedness funding from $500M to $1B
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Biden: FEMA doubled funding for cities, states to prepare for hurricane season
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is doubling the funding to help local authorities prepare for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.
Biden visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, headquarters to announce the increase in funding from $500 million to $1 billion.
“We all know that the storms are coming, and we are going to be prepared,” Biden said.
FEMA distributes the funds through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, or BRIC, which aims to reduce risk through hazard mitigation projects.