FEMA delays aid to Virginia as busy hurricane season nears
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As Virginia stares down another Atlantic hurricane season expected to have "above-normal" activity, it's still struggling to recover from Helene.
Why it matters: Delays in infrastructure repairs and disaster aid could leave already vulnerable areas at greater risk.
Between the lines: Helene, which slammed the southwestern part of the state nearly half a year ago, showed that a hurricane doesn't need to hit Virginia head-on to cause widespread devastation.
- The storm last year killed two people, left over 300,000 Virginians without power, affected nearly 3,700 farms, and closed almost 500 roads.
- The severe flooding in Southwest Virginia resulted in over 100 water rescues, hundreds of homes damaged and dozens of others destroyed, per a report from the National Hurricane Center released last month.
- Gov. Youngkin last year estimated it'd be $4.4 billion in indirect and direct damages.
The latest: Now, an undisclosed amount of FEMA funding for Helene-related response and recovery is delayed due to a new federal review process, reports Cardinal News.
- In a memo from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the agency said they don't know when or if these funds will be available.
- The money on hold includes "preparedness funds to local governments to be ready for the next disaster," per the memo obtained by the nonprofit outlet.
- Multiple localities in SW Virginia told Cardinal News they've yet to be reimbursed for work already done, which is creating financial strains.
Meanwhile, the Virginia Department of Transportation is waiting to be reimbursed up to $260 million in federal dollars for Helene, winter flooding and pre-Helene disasters, per a Transportation Board meeting last week.
- The cost of clearing and repairing roads damaged from Helene and winter storms has already cost VDOT $506 million.
- That's well over VDOT's emergency response budget of $220 million — and they still have over $140 million remaining in estimated costs.
- The agency now plans to pull from future construction advances and leftover funds to help pay for the gap, as first reported by RTD.
What they're saying: "The alternative would be that we would make significant reductions inside our construction programs and slow down projects," said Laura Farmer, VDOT's chief financial officer.
- Those projects include improving highway safety, easing traffic congestion and replacing bridges in poor condition.
What's next: Hurricane season starts June 1.