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| Hurricane Irma: US disaster relief fund 'to run out of cash by Friday' as latest storm closes in | Hurricane Irma: US disaster relief fund 'to run out of cash by Friday' as latest storm closes in |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| With Texas still reeling from Hurricane Harvey and another storm barreling toward Florida, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is expected to run out of money by Friday, according to a Senate aide, putting pressure on Congress to provide more funding this week. | With Texas still reeling from Hurricane Harvey and another storm barreling toward Florida, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is expected to run out of money by Friday, according to a Senate aide, putting pressure on Congress to provide more funding this week. |
| As of 10am on Tuesday morning, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which pays for the agency’s disaster response and recovery activity, had just $1.01 billion on hand. And of that, just $541 million was “immediately available” for response and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Harvey, according to a spokeswoman for FEMA who asked not to be identified by name. | As of 10am on Tuesday morning, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, which pays for the agency’s disaster response and recovery activity, had just $1.01 billion on hand. And of that, just $541 million was “immediately available” for response and recovery efforts related to Hurricane Harvey, according to a spokeswoman for FEMA who asked not to be identified by name. |
| The $1.01 billion in the fund on Tuesday morning is less than half of the $2.14 billion that was there at 9am last Thursday morning - a spend rate of $9.3 million every hour, or about $155,000 a minute. | The $1.01 billion in the fund on Tuesday morning is less than half of the $2.14 billion that was there at 9am last Thursday morning - a spend rate of $9.3 million every hour, or about $155,000 a minute. |
| The agency would be out of funds just as Irma, a category 5 hurricane, might start thrashing the coast of Florida. | The agency would be out of funds just as Irma, a category 5 hurricane, might start thrashing the coast of Florida. |
| “If it’s down to $1 billion or less, then I would say there’s a great concern,” said Elizabeth Zimmerman, who until January was FEMA’s associate administrator for the office of response and recovery. “Congress needs to take action very quickly.” | “If it’s down to $1 billion or less, then I would say there’s a great concern,” said Elizabeth Zimmerman, who until January was FEMA’s associate administrator for the office of response and recovery. “Congress needs to take action very quickly.” |
| President Donald Trump’s administration has asked Congress for an injection of almost $8 billion in additional funds. | President Donald Trump’s administration has asked Congress for an injection of almost $8 billion in additional funds. |
| The House is voting Wednesday on funding for Harvey. The Senate, which is expected to act this week as well, is considering whether to add a suspension of the federal debt limit to the measure. The legislation would then go back to the House. | The House is voting Wednesday on funding for Harvey. The Senate, which is expected to act this week as well, is considering whether to add a suspension of the federal debt limit to the measure. The legislation would then go back to the House. |
| In the meantime, FEMA has restricted spending to what it calls “immediate needs” — what it calls “lifesaving, life-sustaining response efforts” for Harvey and Irma. Zimmerman said the agency can also start pulling money from other projects. | In the meantime, FEMA has restricted spending to what it calls “immediate needs” — what it calls “lifesaving, life-sustaining response efforts” for Harvey and Irma. Zimmerman said the agency can also start pulling money from other projects. |
| But without more money, Zimmerman said, the agency will be hard-pressed to deal with what’s coming. “We’re not even at peak hurricane season,” she said. | But without more money, Zimmerman said, the agency will be hard-pressed to deal with what’s coming. “We’re not even at peak hurricane season,” she said. |
| Irma comes after Hurricane Harvey, which smashed ashore in Texas on 25 August causing widespread damage, power outages and flooding and taking almost a fifth of US oil refining capacity offline. | Irma comes after Hurricane Harvey, which smashed ashore in Texas on 25 August causing widespread damage, power outages and flooding and taking almost a fifth of US oil refining capacity offline. |
| Bloomberg | Bloomberg |