In December, Congress passed a government spending bill that earmarked $100 billion for relief for both past and future disasters, the Associated Press reported.
This bill is a more streamlined version of an earlier attempt that failed when then-President-elect Donald Trump made new demands. The reworked bill passed and was signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 21. It is designed to keep the federal government funded until March 14.
While Helene and Milton, back-to-back hurricanes that made landfall in Florida, loom large in the public mind, the $100 billion for disaster relief isn't just for hurricane recovery. Instead, it's been split between objectives — some to follow up on other recent disasters and some to prepare for future emergencies.
For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund, which the AP called "the country's checkbook for emergencies," was down to a mere $5 billion. But now it has been allocated another $29 billion — though the Biden administration had hoped for $40 billion. The money will reimburse state and local governments for disaster cleanup and emergency response expenses as well as pay modest amounts to residents of disaster-struck areas.
$21 billion will aid farmers who have experienced these emergencies. While not all crops are covered, many are.
"We are still evaluating the bill, as there are a lot of nuances in it," North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler told the AP. "The devil is in the details."
Roughly $12 billion has been set aside for Department of Housing and Urban Development grants; $8 billion is to rebuild damaged roads; and $2.2 billion is available via loans to businesses, nonprofits, and homeowners in the midst of disaster recovery.
$1.5 billion is going to recovery efforts for the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the largest fire in New Mexico history.
Though the Baltimore bridge was damaged by a runaway ship rather than a natural disaster, it too was included in the plan.
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Move somewhere else 🌎 Other funds are headed to the military and NASA for storm-related repairs, and money has been set aside for a new plane to study hurricanes.
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