Researchers looked at thousands of homeowners who moved out of flood-prone homes. Most stayed within a 20-minute drive, and their new homes were safer from flooding.
The states — from the Gulf Coast, the West and Midwest — along with dozens of municipalities are trying to block rate hikes under the National Flood Insurance Program.
Guam still faces dangerous winds and flash floods as the powerful storm moves away from the island. Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero spoke to Morning Edition about damage so far and federal help on the way.
Hurricane Ian is nearing Cuba on a track to strike Florida as a Category 4 as early as Wednesday. Ian is already getting stronger and is forecast to move quickly over Cuba's western tip on Monday. Then it will turn northward and slow down over warm Gulf of Mexico waters, conditions ripe for brewing the strongest hurricanes.
FEMA has a pool of cash set aside to reimburse burial costs — even retroactively — to the families of COVID victims. But clerical challenges and slow outreach have stymied the application process.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development disproportionately sells homes in flood-prone areas, NPR finds. Housing experts warn that this can lead to big losses for vulnerable families.
At 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the federal government will be testing two emergency alert systems on televisions, radios and certain cellphones across the country.
The people who need help the most after disasters are least able to get it from the federal government. Internal records show that FEMA knows it has a problem.
"The people that got out are never gonna go back and live in that building, of course. And so some of them have lost everything that they had," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Friday a mass vaccination site for COVID-19 is coming to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The site has capacity to give 6,000 vaccine shots each day.
White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt said part of the first contingent of more than 1,000 troops is set to begin operations in California mid-February with more vaccination missions to follow.
About 15 million properties in the U.S. are prone to flooding, but patchwork and ineffective disclosure laws mean most people get little to no information about flood risk before they move.
The agency has reimbursed states for protective equipment and disinfection during the pandemic. Health and Human Services says it will provide up to 125 million masks to states for schools in need.
