June 9-15, 2025
When Disaster Strikes Home: A Reflection on FEMA’s Future
Dr. Safiyyah Kai El-Amin
On May 16th, what began as an ordinary drive home to St. Louis became a stark reminder of how quickly life can change. I was preparing to leave Jackson when nature intervened; hail and fierce winds forced me to delay my journey. My husband’s urgent call to take shelter echoed in my mind as I waited for the storm to pass. When I finally made it home hours later, I discovered our neighborhood had been transformed into something unrecognizable.
We were among the fortunate few—our home retained power while our neighbors’ endured days without electricity. We had a few shingles, the house intact, the garden intact. However, walking through our streets in the aftermath, I was struck by scenes that resembled war zones broadcast on the evening news. The estimated $1.9 billion in damage spoke to the scale of destruction, but numbers cannot capture the human cost: families displaced from their homes, businesses shuttered, entire communities left to rebuild from nothing.
This disaster has given me profound insight into a debate that once seemed abstract: the future of FEMA and federal disaster response. Project 2025 proposes significant changes that would fundamentally alter how we respond to catastrophes like the one that devastated our community. The plan calls for FEMA to focus only on “large, widespread disasters” while shifting responsibility for smaller events to state and local governments. Here’s what troubles me most: Who determines what constitutes a “large” disaster? When your neighbor has no power for days, when local businesses are destroyed, when families lose everything, they’ve worked for, local eateries gone, roofs caved in, “Does the federal classification matter to those suffering?” The $1.9 billion in damage we experienced might meet someone’s definition of significant, but for the families still struggling to rebuild months later, the scale feels catastrophic regardless of official designations. As someone deeply committed to social, environmental, and climate justice, I find it particularly concerning that these proposed changes come at a time when extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. Climate change doesn’t respect the artificial boundaries we create between “small” and “large” disasters. A community devastated by flooding, tornadoes, or severe storms needs support regardless of whether the damage meets some arbitrary federal threshold.
The proposed restructuring would dramatically alter cost-sharing arrangements, reducing federal support for smaller disasters to just 25% while maintaining up to 75% only for truly catastrophic events. This places an enormous burden on state and local governments that may already be stretched thin. Many communities lack the resources to effectively respond to and recover from disasters without federal assistance. How does the state build resources without taxing its constituents or grant funding?
I think about Senator Robert Stafford’s vision during the Reagan administration—his belief that the federal government should ensure state and local governments have effective disaster preparedness and response capabilities. The Stafford Act of 1988 wasn’t created in response to a single catastrophe but emerged from a recognition that coordinated federal support was essential for helping communities recover from disasters. That principle feels more relevant today than ever. While the cost per capita 25/75 did not change, the human cost of these proposed changes cannot be overlooked. When I see families in our community still struggling to find housing, still dealing with insurance claims, still trying to rebuild their lives, I’m reminded that disaster recovery is deeply personal. The $1.9 million allocated for those displaced may seem substantial in budgetary terms, but it represents real people facing real hardships—people who need comprehensive support, not bureaucratic obstacles.
Critics dismiss preparedness grants as “pork barrel spending,” but these programs help communities build resilience before disasters strike. Prevention and preparation are far more cost-effective than response and recovery. Similarly, eliminating the National Flood Insurance Program and replacing it with private insurance may sound fiscally responsible, but it could leave many property owners without affordable coverage, effectively abandoning communities most vulnerable to flooding.
As I continue to witness our community’s recovery, I’m convinced that we need FEMA’s current comprehensive approach more than ever. Climate change is intensifying storms, increasing flood risks, and creating new challenges that require a coordinated federal response. This is not the time to retreat from federal disaster assistance—it’s the time to strengthen our collective ability to protect and support one another when nature reminds us of our shared vulnerability. The question isn’t whether we need federal disaster assistance, but how we can make it more effective while maintaining the compassion and comprehensive support that defines us as a caring society. Particularly considering those who fought for racial uplift, communal flourishing, and for life, liberty, and the right to property and the fair and equitable treatment thereof.
Bibliography
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Note: The St. Louis Argus newspaper was searched but specific relevant articles were not found in the search results. Additional local newspaper coverage may be available through direct contact with The St. Louis Argus or local newspaper archives.