Getting Rid of FEMA Will Bankrupt Small Towns

In a new op-ed for Scientific American, FLH Director Yuliya Panfil and Tulane University Urban Planning professor Jesse M. Keenan warn of the dire consequences for small-town America if the Trump administration follows through on plans to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Even with support from FEMA, cities and states currently face huge financial challenges when recovering from natural disasters. Without FEMA’s assistance, state and local governments will be forced to borrow more money, increase taxes, and even privatize their public infrastructure—particularly in small towns and rural counties, which have limited resources. Panfil and Keenan argue that the Trump administration and Congress should reform and invest more in FEMA to preserve the communities and small towns that define the American experience.

Cutting off the postdisaster financial assistance that FEMA provides to states will drive up taxes, drive down services, and drive out residents and small businesses. This ‘climate doom loop’ poses the very real risk of destroying small-town America.

Read the Scientific American article here.