MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – As parts of the Southeast reckon with the damage from the remnants of Hurricane Helene, some are calling on Congress to return to Capitol Hill to pass more disaster funding for FEMA.
As of mid-August, FEMA’s Disaster Fund had run out of money and the agency would only assist with immediate needs, which are described as “lifesaving and life-sustaining activities.”
Vermont Senator Peter Welch says if lawmakers return, it will allow them to replenish FEMA’s Disaster Fund, which would allow assistance for municipalities and other programs. But Welch says that the federal agency currently has the capability to write checks for victims of Helene and Vermonters hit by flooding in July.
“I think the status of FEMA will enable them to write checks and do the work in the Southeast of immediate need and continue meeting immediate needs in Vermont up until November,” Welch said, when Congress is set to reconvene.
Facing ongoing concerns about FEMA’s sluggish response to flooding this summer, Welch this week introduced a bill that seeks more transparency at the federal agency.
Welch’s FEMA Operational Transparency Act would audit FEMA and recommend ways to reduce the agency’s administrative costs.
The deadline for Vermonters to apply for individual assistance from FEMA is October 21st.