States that could suffer without FEMA include Georgia
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Some of the most disaster-prone areas in Georgia could face the greatest financial burdens in a world with less federal assistance, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: President Trump this year floated "fundamentally overhauling or reforming" FEMA or "maybe getting rid" of it — fueling concerns that U.S. disaster relief could be thrown into chaos.
- The coastal and southern corners of Georgia that see hurricanes and tornadoes have used significant FEMA funding, including $614.7 million in response to 2024's Hurricanes Debby and Helene.
Driving the news: Trump signed an executive order last week to shift disaster readiness to state and local governments.
- FEMA and other federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, already funnel billions of dollars to individuals and communities.
- It's unclear how or whether Trump's order might change disaster funding, or whether it would result in fewer federal dollars for disaster-wracked areas in Georgia.
Friction point: Some FEMA reform advocates call for giving states "block grants" of relief money to spend as they see fit, rather than to meet specific needs — but others worry that would lead to fraud and abuse, or that many states lack the resources and expertise to rebuild without help.
By the numbers: Georgia received $1.9 billion in FEMA and HUD relief funding from September 2003 to January 2025, covering 22 disasters, per a new analysis from the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database.
State of play: Farmers in Georgia and other states are still waiting for the federal government to make available roughly $21 billion in aid related to Hurricane Helene.
Zoom in: Georgia's 1st, 8th and 12th Congressional Districts received $50.3 million, $84.6 million and $155.8 million in FEMA dollars sent to more than 380,000 individuals and households from 2021-2025, according to the database.
- Georgia's 5th Congressional District, which includes Atlanta, received $5.1 million.
What they're saying: When disasters occur, the federal government helps clean up, shelter people and provide water, says Sarah Labowitz of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who led the analysis.
- "All of that is supported by a federal disaster relief ecosystem that spreads the risk around the country, spreads the costs around the country. And if we stop spreading the costs around the country, then it's going to fall on states, and it's going to fall on states really unevenly."