Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite state-requested resources and authorize key policy flexibilities in order for Floridians to make a swift...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host two in-person events to assist constituents affected by Hurricane Helene and help navigate applications for FEMA assistance. Food, water, and additional resources will be available at the events. Event...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and virtual Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of...
Following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Debby, some local governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could disrupt disaster recovery efforts. If these local governments receive reimbursements for past hurricanes from the Federal Emergency...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic path through northwest Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from Citrus County. Senator Rubio also met with small business owners impacted by the storm. Photos are courtesy of...
Once again, the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) is expected to run dry during hurricane season.
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell requesting current DRF levels, a projection of when the funds will run out, and a plan for when that happens.
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Administrator Criswell:
We appreciate your hard work and partnership to support Florida’s families following recent hurricanes. In Florida, we understand the importance of total coordination between local, state and federal partners who stand ready to deploy resources at a moment’s notice. Continuing this partnership will be critical to ensure Florida can prepare for, respond to, and quickly recover from severe weather during the 2024 Hurricane Season should disaster strike.
It is our understanding that your agency expects the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to run out of funds by August 2024 and may need to activate an immediate needs funding designation as early as June. We cannot stress enough how devastating this funding shortage would be to hurricane and disaster relief efforts in Florida and across the country. FEMA’s latest monthly DRF report, issued May 7, 2024, projects a $1.359 billion deficit in its Major Declarations fund by August, growing to $6.811 billion by September. This is unacceptable going into hurricane season.
Last year, we led an effort in the Senate to fully fund FEMA’s DRF at the levels requested by your agency and the White House. It is gravely concerning to us that now, not even a year later, the Biden administration is projecting another funding shortfall.
As we work to ensure full funding for the DRF as a clean, standalone effort so that the federal government be a partner in disaster preparation, response and recovery, we ask that you please provide written responses to the following questions:
In the aftermath of any natural disaster, Floridians expect government at every level to work together and show up. Families in Florida, and across the nation, must be able to rely on the federal government to do its part as they get back on their feet. We look forward to your response as we work together to ensure FEMA and the DRF have the resources our communities may need.
Sincerely,