FEMA announces $2.5B for enhanced resiliency against climate change-fueled extreme weather

The Biden administration announced Monday an additional $2.5 billion in climate resilience funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The funds include $1.8 billion through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) competitive grant program and another $642 million through the Flood Mitigation Assistance program. The Department of Homeland Security earlier in May announced $160 million in funds for the two programs.

“From Hawaii to Maine, communities across the country are experiencing more frequent and intense severe weather events, resulting in devastating impacts to their homes, businesses, and families. Though FEMA will always help communities respond and recover to these disasters, it is also paramount to build resilience before disasters strike,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement.

“Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we can further our mission to help our state, local, territorial, and tribal partners build a more resilient nation.”

The BRIC competition comprises 124 projects across 38 states, the District of Columbia and one tribal nation. The agency has announced just more than $2 billion in BRIC grants this year.

The announcement comes late in a summer that has repeatedly smashed global heat records and seen a number of extreme climate and weather events in the U.S., including Hurricane Hilary in California and the forthcoming Tropical Storm Idalia.

Idalia could become a Category 3 storm as it approaches Florida. The direct cause of the wildfires that devastated the island of Maui has not yet been determined, but experts believe extreme heat dried out vegetation and accelerated the blazes.

This June, the Commerce Department also announced $2.6 billion in climate resilience funding for the coastal U.S. in particular through the Inflation Reduction Act. This included $349 million toward climate resilience in U.S. fisheries and $400 million for tribal habitat and fish hatchery restoration.