TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – At a televised cabinet meeting, Homeland Security Secretary Christa Noem said she plans to “eliminate” FEMA but has not made any further progress on how it will unfold.
Rep. Kathy Kaster, who represents the people of Tampa and St. Petersburg, hopes the Trump administration will rethink those plans, especially as FEMA is still supporting families after the back-to-back hurricane.
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“Eliminating FEMA would be risky and costly for Florida families and businesses,” Castor said.
FEMA is a federal agency that helps states prepare and respond to disasters like hurricanes. Not only will the agency support families with individual assistance, it will also refund local governments to remove debris.
“There’s no way for communities facing catastrophe to have the ability to maintain search and rescue teams on tasks all year round or put medical assistant teams on tasks throughout the year,” Castor said. “Thinking that you are asking the state to maintain and carry these costs for months, months, months, months. That makes no sense. It’s not financially wise.”
At the Florida State Fair last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his support for overhauling FEMA and allowing the nation to gain more control.
“We have Milton and Helen people still fighting FEMA,” DeSantis said.
Rep. Castor says that isn’t a good idea, based on years of complaints from Floridians seeking benefits while unemployed.
“I know from my experience with Florida’s unemployment compensation system that they were unable to provide aides in a timely manner,” Caster said.
The latest figures on Thursday show that FEMA has distributed $1.5 billion from Debbie, Helen and Milton for personal assistance in Florida. Under these same storms, $1.6 billion has been approved with public support.
President Trump has come up with the idea of a massive overhaul of how FEMA works. He created the FEMA Review Council through an executive order. As for the changes, the casters want to see at least one difference.
“They really need to improve their customer service, especially with individual emergency aids that often tell people that they’re being rejected when they’re not being rejected,” Caster said.
In a statement, MP Gas Bilirakis, who represents the coastal region from Holiday to Homosassa, said:
“FEMA’s response to our recent hurricanes has been terrible, and many of my constituents are still waiting for help and answers. I agree with President Trump and his secretary Noem that we need to seriously consider shifting federal funds and bringing them back to the nation. The unique needs of Floridians than FEMA.
Councillor Gas Bilirakis
