Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn't have enough funding to last through hurricane season

The Federal Emergency Management Agency tin conscionable contiguous needs but does not person capable backing to marque it done the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday.

The bureau is being stretched arsenic it works with states to measure harm from Hurricane Helene and delivers meals, water, generators and different captious supplies. The tempest struck Florida past week, past plowed done respective states successful the Southeast, flooding towns and sidesplitting much than 160 people.

Mayorkas was not circumstantial astir however overmuch further wealth the bureau whitethorn need, but his remarks connected Air Force One underscored concerns voiced by President Joe Biden and immoderate lawmakers earlier this week that Congress whitethorn request to walk a supplemental spending measure this autumn to assistance states with betterment efforts.

"We are gathering the contiguous needs with the wealth that we have. We are expecting different hurricane hitting," Mayorkas said. "FEMA does not person the funds to marque it done the season."

Hurricane play runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but astir hurricanes typically hap successful September and October.

Congress precocious replenished a cardinal root of FEMA's effect efforts, providing $20 cardinal for the agency's catastrophe alleviation money arsenic portion of a short-term authorities spending measure to money the authorities done Dec. 20. The measure besides gave FEMA flexibility to gully connected the wealth much rapidly arsenic needed.

Both chambers of Congress are scheduled, however, to beryllium successful their location states and districts until aft the election, arsenic lawmakers absorption connected campaigning.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., gave nary hint helium was considering changing that docket during a code Tuesday. He said that Congress conscionable provided FEMA with the funds it needs to respond and that lawmakers would marque definite those resources are appropriately allocated.

A bipartisan radical of Senators from affected states wrote their enactment this week saying it's wide Congress indispensable enactment to conscionable constituents' needs. They said that whitethorn adjacent necessitate Congress to travel backmost successful October, up of the election.

Mayorkas made his comments arsenic Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris fanned retired crossed the Southeast to witnesser the harm from the hurricane and question to show committedness and competence successful helping devastated communities. Biden is heading to North and South Carolina, portion Harris is going to Georgia.

More than 150,000 households person registered for assistance with FEMA, and that fig is expected to emergence rapidly successful the coming days, said Frank Matranga, an bureau representative.

The devastation was particularly terrible successful the Blue Ridge Mountains, wherever astatine slightest 57 radical died successful and astir Asheville, North Carolina, a tourism haven known for its creation galleries, breweries and outdoor activities.

"Communities were wiped disconnected the map," North Carolina's governor, Roy Cooper, said astatine a quality league Tuesday.