March 27, 2025 ☼ --nytimes ☼ disaster ☼ doge ☼ fema ☼ musk ☼ noem ☼ trump
Source: www.nytimes.com (Link)
This is an horrific situation across the country of frozen FEMA funds causing long term suffering of citizens and the lies told by the administration about the rationale. They will likely close FEMA and leave all disaster recovery to states without any resources.
Just one example and not the worst.
French Broad Electric Membership Corporation, a small utility outside Asheville, N.C., spent about $18 million through the end of last year to pay workers and contractors for repairs to power lines, poles and wiring after Helene knocked out power to all of its 43,000 customers.
The co-op got approved for an expedited grant under FEMA’s public assistance program in early February, according to Jeff Loven, the co-op’s general manager and CEO. It was supposed to get $9 million by the middle of last month, he added, but was still waiting for the money as of Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve had to borrow money on short-term lines of credit to be able to pay these folks, as well as the vendors who supplied these materials,” Mr. Loven said. If the freeze continues, he added, “we have to go borrow more money and get further in debt.” The interest on that line of credit is about $250,000 a month, Mr. Loven said, and that cost could end up falling on their customers unless the co-op gets the FEMA money soon.