Coronavirus and Climate Change Could Stretch FEMA Past Its Limit
Staffing shortfalls at the U.S. disaster-response agency could impair its ability to tackle a pandemic on top of extreme weather events.
President Donald Trump at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s headquarters in Washington on Thursday, March 19.
Photographer: Evan Vucci/AP PhotoIt wasn’t until Wednesday, five days after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it was “leading the federal coordination” to the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S.
While the disaster-response agency is better known for its work in the aftermath of storms than disease outbreaks, it is the part of the federal government often charged with procuring supplies quickly. The decision to activate FEMA to its highest state, Level 1, didn’t surprise James Kendra, who directs the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. But Kendra did wonder if FEMA could possibly handle both a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis and the upcoming spring flood season. The National Weather Service warned this week that flooding could affect 128 million Americans this year.
“FEMA is stretched,” he said. “All the other hazards we have in the U.S. will not go away and will only complicate the task of responding to the coronavirus.”