Baton Rouge Reporter

U.S. Congressmen Garret Graves (South Louisiana) and Jared Moskowitz (Florida) introduced legislation today aimed at enhancing the flexibility and efficiency of disaster recovery efforts. The bill proposes allowing Governors to request lump sum payments for natural disaster recovery if the estimated damages are less than $10 million. This measure aims to give states greater autonomy in managing small-scale disasters while preventing the unnecessary deployment of FEMA teams.

“Louisiana has faced more than its fair share of natural disasters, and this common-sense approach to disaster management would give our state, and others like it, the flexibility needed to respond swiftly and effectively to smaller-scale disasters,” said Congressman Graves. “Nearly half of America’s disasters since 2021 would have qualified for state-directed recovery efforts under this legislation, freeing up the bandwidth of FEMA to focus its attention and resources on major disasters and better service for disaster victims. This is all about reducing bureaucracy, expediting recovery efforts, and better supporting affected communities – it gives our local communities another tool to manage recovery while ensuring that federal resources are used where they are most needed.”

“As Florida’s former Emergency Management Director, I can tell you that this bill would’ve been a welcome change in our disaster recovery efforts. This is a common-sense solution that will get states the assistance they need for smaller-scale disasters, while also not putting a strain on FEMA’s response to more major events. Flexibility and less red tape is what we need at the moment,” said Congressman Moskowitz.