FEMA is running out of disaster relief funding as it continues to respond to costly natural disasters. Funding could run out within a matter of weeks.
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00:00 FEMA is running out of disaster relief funding, we're told, as it continues to
00:04 respond to these costly natural disasters funding, they say officials
00:08 do could run out within a matter of weeks. National correspondent Stephanie
00:12 Sandoval is live with how FEMA is responding and its next steps.
00:16 The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund is
00:21 dwindling as the climate crisis continues to intensify natural
00:25 disasters across the country. FEMA says funding could run out by mid
00:29 September. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell says the agency has a plan in
00:34 place to ensure there's enough funding to go around. And so what we will do is
00:38 we will continue to push, we will push projects, recovery projects into the
00:43 next fiscal year. So we always have enough money to support any of the
00:47 immediate life saving needs. So we will take measures to ensure that there is
00:51 always going to be enough funding to continue to support immediate responses
00:55 to these types of severe weather events. President Joe Biden has requested in a
00:59 additional $12 billion in funding for disaster relief efforts from Congress.
01:04 But on CBS's face the nation, Criswell says it may not be enough. That dollar
01:09 amount may need to go up as we go into next fiscal year and what we're going
01:12 to need to do to be able to continue to respond to the increased number of
01:16 events that are happening across the nation. The lack of funding comes as the
01:20 government responds to devastating fires in Hawaii, which has killed more
01:24 than 100 people.
01:27 And as peak hurricane season approaches, the shortfall also comes at a time when
01:31 southern California deals with its first tropical storm in 84 years.
01:36 California is a very capable state with a lot of resources, but we have also
01:40 moved in additional resources just in case it exceeds capability so we can
01:44 quickly come in and support if asked. Brian Ferguson, the deputy director of
01:48 California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, says it's all hands
01:52 on deck. While hurricanes are a new challenge that we face, unfortunately,
01:57 our states had a lot of practice in recent years with other disasters.
02:00 Stephanie Sandoval, Scripps News.