How much of FEMA's direct relief money has gone to Virginians
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FEMA has approved just over $210 million for the Southeast as of Monday in response to Hurricane Helene.
- That includes nearly $500,000 for over 89 households in Southwest Virginia, per the agency.
Why it matters: The numbers illustrate Americans' urgent financial needs in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters, like Helene, one of the deadliest storms to hit the U.S. this century.
The big picture: More help is now needed in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which damaged 519 homes in Southwest Virginia, including 44 homes that were fully destroyed and 161 that sustained major damage, Cardinal News reported last week.
- And help will likely be needed after Hurricane Milton, which is now bearing down on Florida's western coast.
Yes, but: FEMA is running out of money to cover the rest of this hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned last week.
Zoom out: As shown in the map above, Florida, Louisiana and Texas residents received the lion's share of FEMA's Individuals and Households Program between 2015 and April 2024, per newly gathered data.
- The database covers 170 incidents for which IHP was activated, including hurricanes, floods, fires and more.
- IHP is just a portion of FEMA's post-disaster relief spending.
By the numbers: FEMA spent about $12.7 billion on IHP over the covered period, compared to about $52.3 billion on "Public Assistance," which helps fund community rebuilding efforts.
- Just over $10 million of the IHP money for the nine-year period was to Virginians in the wake of 2016's Hurricane Matthew. Virginians got an additional $16.4 million in public assistance funds after Matthew.
Context: IHP is meant to be an immediate financial lifeline for people whose lives have been upended by natural disasters, not an insurance replacement.
What they're saying: "The disaster recovery system is cracking under the strain of more frequent and devastating disasters and the reality of a divided Congress that is struggling to fund the federal government at all," Labowitz recently wrote.
- One big problem, she noted, is that natural disaster victims aren't getting enough help "to rebuild differently or elsewhere," continuing an expensive and destructive cycle.
What's next: Experts predict big jumps in FEMA relief spending once the full Helene tally is complete, especially in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.