From NACO: Counties make the case for FEMA reform on Capitol Hill

“When disaster strikes, counties are first on the scene – deploying emergency personnel, coordinating evacuations and beginning the long work of rebuilding communities, often before federal help has even arrived. But under the current federal disaster recovery system, counties are also left holding the bill, sometimes for years.

That was the message Jefferson Parish, La. President Cynthia Lee Sheng brought to Capitol Hill on July 15, testifying on behalf of NACo before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at a hearing titled “Reforming FEMA: Ensuring the Nation’s Disaster Readiness Works for Americans.”

“Disaster response, recovery and mitigation start local, and they end local,” Sheng told lawmakers. “However, these efforts would not be possible without continued support from federal programs through FEMA.”

From: AP News: More than 24 states sue Trump administration after it put conditions on receiving disaster funding

“More than two dozen states on Thursday sued the Trump administration for requiring them to comply with election and immigration conditions to receive billions of dollars in federal funding for disasters.

The lawsuit, filed in Rhode Island and challenging Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security policies, argued that the administration is requiring states to change their elections systems and help DHS with immigration enforcement. The conditions would also allow DHS to terminate grants at any time and for any reason.”

An Update on FEMA’s Disaster Declaration Activity

“Earlier this year I wrote extensively about disaster declaration activity, finding that the 2nd Trump Administration was denying many more requests than was typical, was taking longer to make those decisions, and was approving more requests from Republican-voting states than Democratic-voting ones. On that last point, I said that we need to be cautious because of small sample sizes and correlation =/ causation, but the pattern was certainly striking.”

Editors Note: Be sure to read down to the bottom of the article to see the useful charts of declaration data.

Thanks to Chris Jones for the citation.

Government of Canada Provides Updates on Devastating 2026 Wildfire Season

https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/emergency-preparedness/government-of-canada-provides-updates-on-devastating-2026-wildfire-season

he Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, joined by Corey Hogan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Ginette Lavack, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services, have provided an update on the worsening wildfire situation in Canada.

As of July 9, there were 796 active wildfires nationally including 60 with full response, that are out of control. In total this season, there have been 3,137 fires and 1.4 million hectares burned. Last year we saw fewer fires at this time, 2,913, but a more significant area burned, 4,614,713 hectares.

From HStoday: Lawmakers Renew Calls to Fix “Broken” Disaster Response System

https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/emergency-preparedness/lawmakers-renew-calls-to-fix-broken-disaster-response-system

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee renewed its push for sweeping reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) this week, with lawmakers and emergency management leaders examining proposals they say would fundamentally reshape how the federal government prepares for, responds to, and recovers from disasters.

The hearing brought together former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, local government officials, utility and insurance industry leaders, and business representatives to discuss long-term changes to the nation’s disaster response framework.

In his opening remarks, Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) argued that years of incremental reforms have failed to address systemic problems within the agency.

From CNN: ‘Large and deadly’ flood waves threaten Texas Hill Country. Water rescues are underway as relentless rain hits the same area of last year’s Camp Mystic flooding./

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/16/weather/live-news/texas-flash-flooding-camp-mystic-climate

From HLSW: Congress Set to Overhaul Disaster Recovery, Speeding Up New Home Builds

There are a lot of ways for disaster victims to get help in the immediate aftermath of a flood or fire, and now there is a new way: A little-noticed section in a bipartisan housing bill could accelerate new construction after major disasters.

From WashPost: Assigning FEMA staff to immigration enforcement hurt disaster work, House report says

“The findings by a group of House Democrats show how FEMA staffers were put to work in immigration enforcement and administrative roles, among others, straining the agency’s disaster response ability.”

From: HSNW: Sea-Level Rise Has Increased Frequency of Extreme Coastal Flooding Worldwide

“Human-caused sea-level rise has significantly increased the frequency of extreme coastal flooding worldwide. New research found that coastal flooding events expected only once every 100 years are now, on average, about 12 times more likely to occur.”

From KATU2: City of Salem sues DHS, FEMA over DEI conditions tied to disaster relief funding

“The City of Salem has filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), arguing the Trump administration is unlawfully attaching political conditions to disaster relief grants.

The lawsuit was filed June 30 in the U.S. District Court in Eugene. The city declined further comment on the pending litigation.

According to the 71-page complaint, the city of Salem argues DHS and FEMA grant requirements go beyond what Congress authorized by tying disaster funding to policies involving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), immigration enforcement, gender identity, and compliance with executive orders unrelated to disaster recovery.”