The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has denied requests for three Kentucky counties affected by severe storms last spring, ruling that the areas did not suffer enough damage to merit federal support. The agency also deemed the state ineligible for hazard mitigation grants that would help prepare for future disasters, according to a letter issued to Governor Andy Beshear on Tuesday.
The decision is the latest in a series of denials as the Trump administration seeks to shift the burden of disaster recovery on to states. Last week, Fema rejected Maryland's request for assistance after near-record flooding in May destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, causing close to $16m in damages.
Maryland's governor, Wes Moore, said the denial was an insult to residents still suffering, and insisted the state had met the criteria for assistance. Fema, which coordinates disaster response and recovery, has been left critically under-resourced as President Trump has called for dismantling the agency and cutting funding. He has said he wants to bring disaster management back to the state level.
Fema has also terminated a multibillion-dollar grant programme funding infrastructure upgrades that build resilience, a move challenged in court by 20 states earlier this month. Massachusetts attorney general Andrea Campbell said the administration was abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect residents and save lives.
A Department of Energy study of more than 1,600 emergency management directors found that understaffed and overworked offices were debilitated by funding shortages and lacked a clear mission. Kentucky's governor said he was disappointed in the decision and plans to appeal, adding that the state is actively comparing damage assessments.
