WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – After back-to-back years of devastating flooding, Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), is urging Congress to overhaul how the Federal Emergency Management Agency responds to disasters.
Flooding in 2023 and 2024 caused more than $1 billion in damage across all 14 counties in Vermont.
“We had back-to-back floods in 2023 and 2024, doing about $1 billion worth of damage,” Welch said.
The Vermont Democrat has introduced the Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization (AID) Act, which would streamline FEMA’s aid process and allow local communities to take the lead in recovery efforts.
“You actually have to delegate responsibility and authority to the local community that has to live with the consequences of the damage,” Welch said.
Welch says FEMA should shift its focus away from red tape and toward preparedness by pre-positioning resources before disasters strike.
“It’s not going to micromanage local folks to death in the name of oversight,” he said.
Catastrophic flooding recently hit Texas too. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas.) said Congress is considering multiple legislative efforts to support communities.
“The goal must nevertheless remain to prevent more mothers and fathers and families from suffering the very great pain that so many are feeling right now,” Cornyn said.
While Cornyn agreed that natural disasters are inevitable, he suggested a different approach to preparedness, for the time being.
“They happen everywhere at different times and different places,” he said.
Welch says Congress needs to take action.
“We can abolish FEMA when we can get an executive order abolishing and banning wild weather events. But that day is not going to come,” Welch said.
Source: Fox 8 News Channel
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