From HSToday: FEMA and the Human Cost of a Government Shutdown
“I served our nation as a civil servant. I experienced the stress, financial impact, and uncertainty. My children were impacted too. What made it worse was hearing public speculation about a bloated government with no empathy, compassion, or even understanding of what it truly means to dedicate your life to service and then be unappreciated and disregarded like pawns in a chess game we do not even play.

The federal government has already experienced two shutdowns in 2026.

But they are not the same story.”

From CNN: Deal to reopen DHS sputters on Capitol Hill as anxiety in both parties spikes.

” The latest push to reopen the Department of Homeland Security is sputtering on Capitol Hill, with frustrations so high that some rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties are privately meeting on their own to try to salvage talks.

Just a day earlier, Senate GOP leaders believed they’d found a compromise that would reopen the shuttered DHS by this weekend. But that plan — which would withhold money for federal immigration enforcement but without any policy changes — has fallen flat in both parties, leaving President Donald Trump and GOP leaders with no clear path to end the nearly 40-day stalemate before Congress leaves in two days for a two-week recess. “

From the SmokyMountainNews: FEMA 2.0; What the Leaked Draft of the FEMA Review Council Report Really Means.

A leaked draft of the FEMA Review Council’s final report on reform of the disaster response agency appears to shift considerable burden onto states, local governments, tribes and territories (SLTTs) while slashing the agency’s workforce by 50%, positioning federal response in the rear and largely ignoring requests to send recovery funding down to the county level.

President Donald Trump established the FEMA Review Council on Jan. 24, 2025, charging its leaders, then Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with gathering stakeholder input and presenting a list of recommendations for improving the embattled agency.

The full draft report, obtained by The Smoky Mountain News, has been floating around Washington, D.C., since last December. Some details have already been reported by other outlets, but a full breakdown has never been presented until now.

Note: the full article is 21 pages long.

From HSToday: The Benefits of Community-Led Disaster Recovery: Part III
Enabling communities to lead with their strengths and participate in recovery efforts yields more responsive, resilient outcomes.

“This is the final article of a three-part emergency management series exploring the importance of strengths-based approaches, strong social networks, community ownership of emergency preparedness, and better recovery through activation of local strengths. [Earlier parts of this article are cited on the website.]

Disaster recovery involves more than just rebuilding structures. It’s about restoring trust and confidence and enabling communities to take constructive action. And just like preparedness, successful recovery starts with knowing who and what your community can rely on. “

The Diva just ran across two lengthy and informative articles re recovery in the Jan. issue of National Geographic. She cannot violate copywrite rules, but here are the titles.

• Learning from Disasters; Building Back Better
• Learning from Disasters; Reflections on Los Angeles

Hopefully a friend or your local library will have a copy of that issue.

From PBS: DHS secretary nominee Mullin presents a different vision for FEMA than predecessor Noem

“President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security presented a softer approach on federal emergency management in his Senate confirmation hearing, rejecting the idea of eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency and pledging to undo some of his predecessor’s unpopular policies.

The remarks by Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday raised hopes among disaster response managers that a shift is coming in the administration’s approach to FEMA after months of turbulence under the outgoing DHS secretary, Kristi Noem.”

From the WashPost: White House details offer to end partial government shutdown
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown has saddled flyers with long lines at airports.https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/03/17/white-house-dhs-partial-shutdown-tsa-airports/

“The White House on Tuesday detailed its counteroffer to congressional Democrats in negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down for more than four weeks leading to long lines at some airports.

Democrats have demanded that Republicans agree to new accountability measures for immigration enforcement agents after officials killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota during the agency’s Operation Metro Surge.”

From the ASFPM: NFIP Code Blue

“A Code Blue is a high-priority hospital alert signifying a patient is experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency, usually cardiac or respiratory arrest, requiring immediate resuscitation. Unfortunately, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is currently experiencing its own Code Blue.

The NFIP provides coverage to 4.7 million policyholders across 23,000 communities nationwide. In addition to insurance, the NFIP oversees floodplain management, flood hazard mapping, and flood mitigation to meet its statutory obligations. A small but dedicated federal staff carries out these functions by relying heavily on contracts, cooperative grants, arrangements, and other formal agreements with private insurers, state/local governments, and vendors. Ironically, this approach to administering the NFIP aligns with the Trump Administration’s priorities for state and local governments to play a more significant role in resilience and preparedness and for greater private sector involvement.”

Thanks to Chris Jones for the citation.

From CNN: Exclusive: ‘Rescuers were flying blind’: Inside the crucial $200,000 contract Kristi Noem’s team let lapse

“As deadly tornadoes tore through the Midwest and Plains last weekend, state and local search-and-rescue crews rushed to the devastated areas to look for survivors. It wasn’t until the teams deployed that they realized they were operating without a critical tornado-tracking tool typically provided by FEMA.

That left responders with a less precise picture of where to search first, two sources familiar with the situation told CNN.”

From Politico: Lawmakers Spar Over FEMA funding as Shutdown Drags On

“Senators blocked rival plans Wednesday for funding the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”