What has Congress already done?

Congress last month passed a short-term spending bill that authorized FEMA to tap $20 billion for its disaster relief fund before the law expires on Dec. 20. But the bill left out billions of additional dollars that the White House Office of Management and Budget had requested for long-term recovery efforts, such as the ongoing wildfire cleanup mission on the Hawaiian island of Maui and the response to a major bridge collapse in Baltimore .

How much disaster aid does FEMA have left?

FEMA officials declined to say how much disaster aid is now available. But disaster experts said the agency appears to have enough money for its individual assistance program, which provides immediate cash to disaster victims to cover the costs of food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency items. If Congress does not act, however, FEMA could run out of funding for its public assistance program, which reimburses state and local governments for the costs of debris cleanup, first responders and other needs. For instance, FEMA could temporarily stop reimbursing officials in Hawaii for wildfire cleanup costs. The public assistance program is “where the system is really going to be strained,” said Sarah Labowitz, a disaster expert and nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

How much disaster aid does the SBA have left?

Despite its name, the SBA does not solely help small businesses; the agency also provides low-interest loans to homeowners and renters whose properties are damaged by disasters. This disaster loan program could run out of money in the coming weeks, depending on how much devastation Milton causes. The agency needs roughly $1.6 billion to stabilize its budget for the rest of the 2025 fiscal year, which only began Oct. 1, a White House official said. It is already receiving about 3,000 applications a day from Helene survivors, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss disaster recovery publicly. “SBA staff is currently on the ground across the country working to support communities impacted by disasters, but we are quickly exhausting current federal funding to make new offers for affordable recovery loans to homeowners, renters, small businesses, and nonprofits,” SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said in a statement. “Americans should not have to wait for critical assistance when they need it the most.”

Is Congress expected to approve more disaster aid soon?

Congress is on recess until Nov. 12, after Election Day, as lawmakers focus on campaigning. But President Joe Biden said last week he could call lawmakers back to Washington for an emergency session to approve additional disaster aid. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has given no indication, however, that he plans to call members back to Washington early. “Look, we’ll be back in session immediately after the election,” Johnson said on “Fox News Sunday.” “That’s 30 days from now. The thing about these hurricanes and disasters of this magnitude is that it takes awhile to calculate the actual damages, and the states are going to need some time to do that.” Yet Johnson and other congressional leaders could face mounting pressure to change course if Milton proves particularly costly. Initial estimates place private insured losses from Helene around $11 billion. A group of more than a dozen House Democrats plans to write to Johnson on Wednesday urging him to reconvene the chamber to take up disaster funding bills. “Recent legislation has provided initial relief funds, yet these provisions fall critically short of what will be necessary to address the scale of destruction and the recovery needs for Fiscal Year 2025,” the lawmakers write, led by Reps. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), Dina Titus (Nev.), Melanie Stansbury (N.M.) and Kathy Manning (N.C.). “The frequency and intensity of these extreme weather events are a clarion call for proactive measures. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must be equipped not only to respond to current disasters but also to adequately prepare for future events,” the letter continues. “This requires substantial funding that ensures FEMA can maintain a state of readiness and provide immediate assistance when disasters strike. Additionally, the Small Business Administration disaster relief loan program must be replenished as soon as possible to help business owners rebuild their enterprises and communities.”

What does the White House think Congress should do?

White House officials have privately urged congressional leaders to pass a disaster aid bill while remaining on recess. That legislation could pass through “unanimous consent,” when all 535 members of Congress agree to the measure without objection. The process would not require most lawmakers to return to Washington early. There is a precedent for this scenario: Congress passed a disaster funding package by unanimous consent soon after Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana in 2005. But the politics of disasters have grown much more polarizing since then.

Is hurricane relief money going to migrants instead of disaster victims?

No, it is not . This claim is spreading so widely in the aftermath of Helene that FEMA set up a website to debunk it and other falsehoods. Though FEMA and migrant relief programs are both part of the Department of Homeland Security, funds for each sit in separate accounts that are not intermingled. And the money earmarked for assistance to migrants can’t just be shifted to cover hurricane costs. Still, former president Donald Trump has continued to repeat the falsehood about migrants during campaign rallies and on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Does FEMA have enough staff to respond to Milton?

As of Tuesday morning, just 1,205 people — roughly 9 percent of FEMA’s disaster workforce — were available to respond to Milton or other disasters, according to the agency’s daily operations briefing . But W. Craig Fugate, who led FEMA under President Barack Obama, and Peter T. Gaynor, who headed the agency under Trump, both said they were not worried about staffing levels as Milton heads toward Florida. They noted that FEMA can request personnel from other federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Health and Human Services, and that state officials typically help lead response efforts. “It’s not just FEMA by itself,” Gaynor said.

How does FEMA aid work?

Disaster victims are eligible to apply for several pots of money from FEMA. Under the individual assistance program, the agency often quickly approves $750 for each household to cover the costs of clothes, food, baby formula and other everyday essentials. But that’s just a start. Disaster survivors are also eligible to receive up to $42,500 in financial housing assistance, which can be used to cover the costs of home repairs or up to 18 months of rent. Applications for this program tend to take longer for FEMA to process. Tens of thousands of additional dollars are available through FEMA, the SBA, flood insurance and other federal programs to help disaster survivors rebuild their lives.

Economic Policy

FEMA has enough funding for Hurricane Milton. What’s next is less certain.

A disaster loan program at the Small Business Administration and other long-term FEMA projects could need an emergency infusion of cash to get through hurricane season.

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National Guard soldiers load emergency food and water into a helicopter in Salisbury, N.C., on Oct. 2 for delivery to rural areas affected by Hurricane Helene. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

By Jacob Bogage

and

Maxine Joselow

October 9, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. EDT

Federal relief agencies are confronting a potential budget shortfall as aid begins reaching communities battered by Hurricane Helene and large swaths of the Southeast prepare for Hurricane Milton to strike Florida as a monster storm.

The funding crunch is most dire for the Small Business Administration, which provides loans for homeowners and businesses to rebuild after disasters. The agency is down to weeks’ worth of available funding, officials said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the government’s first responder and disaster-recovery financier, has enough funding to meet Helene and Milton victims’ immediate needs. But if the impacts of the second storm are particularly severe, they could temporarily hamper the agency’s ability to fund ongoing recovery projects nationwide.

Here’s what to know about the cash crunch and how it could affect disaster relief efforts across the country:

Hurricane Milton

Milton, an extremely dangerous Category 3 hurricane, made landfall along Florida’s west coast Wednesday night. See its path with our storm tracker, view the widespread damages and watch live-stream feeds. Here are four key details about Hurricane Milton that shocked meteorologists.

The latest: How bad was Hurricane Milton? Before landfall, destructive tornadoes touched down across Florida in what could be the most powerful hurricane to hit the Tampa Bay area in more than a century.

Milton’s impact: Some Florida residents pondered evacuation ahead of Milton’s landfall, but many refused to leave before Hurricane Helene. FEMA has enough relief funding for Hurricane Milton, but the Small Business Administration is set to run out of funding for hurricane victims within days.