Recovery gets complicated by uneven insurance coverage, haphazard emergency programs, and a reluctance to admit that rebuilding in vulnerable places is too risky.
FEMA
Posted inEnergy and the Environment
Puerto Rico’s Electric Grid Is On-Again, Off-Again
At the peak of the 2022 hurricane season, power outages plague the island five years after a historic storm.
Posted inPolitics
The (Government) Customer Is Always Right
A new executive order promises to speed the delivery of government services by modernizing cooperation across federal departments and state and local governments.
Posted inBuilding Back America
The Incoherence of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
It reserves money for climate adaptation measures, but lets states use a much larger pot of money to build whatever they want.
Posted inVideos
⏩ Climate, Infrastructure, and Equity: Navigating Build Back Better
Prospect writers discuss the obstacles to Build Back Better posed by climate change, privatization, economic inequality, and more.
Posted inEnergy and the Environment
New Flood Insurance Rates Still Subsidize Coastal Development
FEMA says new rates are more fair. But homeowners can still skip buying insurance, premiums may still not price in severe climate risk, and the program remains insolvent.
Posted inEnergy and the Environment
A Flood of Risk
The federal flood insurance program has historically subsidized rich coastal homeowners. FEMA says they’re fixing that, but it could be false hope.
Posted inEnergy and the Environment
Pandemic Still With Us, but Hurricanes Also Loom
Is FEMA prepared for simultaneous disasters?
Posted inCoronavirus
The Coronavirus and the Rise of the States
In crises and wars, the national government’s authority invariably grows, while states’ power shrivels. This time, it’s the other way around.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Hurricane Dorian Spares Puerto Rico, but Trump Does Not
The president unleashes a tweetstorm against the mayor of San Juan and anything else associated with the island except, of course, his own failed leadership.