Yet for all its assistance, FEMA’s official definition of a “major disaster” does not include two threats that are increasingly posing harm to millions of Americans: extreme heat and wildfire smoke. They are requesting that the Stafford Act — FEMA’s animating statute — be amended to include extreme heat and wildfire smoke in its regulations. “And so the question is, why can’t FEMA actually act on that for extreme heat and wildfire smoke — extreme heat being the No. “It’s all a matter of Congress, and because extreme heat is truly a bipartisan issue, I would hope that Congress does appropriate accordingly to actually help their own states get money for these extreme heat and wildfire smoke issues,” Su said. Some have already been pushing FEMA to make the change through the bipartisan Extreme Heat Emergency Act, which similarly urges the agency to add extreme heat to its list of major disaster qualifying events.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 17, 2024 17:05 UTC