Disaster Assistance: Improving the Federal Approach

Disasters are becoming deadlier, more frequent, and costlier—and the federal approach to helping communities recover is straining under the pressure. With over 600 open disaster declarations and billions in aid at stake, the GAO is calling for big changes: streamline processes, reduce fragmentation across agencies, and build a more resilient FEMA workforce. Proposals include everything from a one-stop disaster aid portal to rethinking long-term resilience funding. If the system doesn’t evolve, communities and survivors may continue to face delays and gaps just when they need help most.