What is FEMA? The Federal Emergency Management Agency explained

FILE-The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. is photographed on October 8, 2024. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for helping states and neighborhoods affected by disasters. 

FEMA officials are currently responding to wildfires in California and last year’s hurricane in North Carolina amid recent criticism from President Donald Trump. 

Here’s what you need to know about the federal agency. 

What is FEMA?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is a federal agency that coordinates the response to disasters nationwide. 

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., FEMA employs over 20,000 people in the U.S. with 10 regional offices across the country. The agency works with the federal government to ensure the country has the resources to prepare for and respond to disasters.

RELATED: Trump targets FEMA while visiting disaster zones in North Carolina, California

FEMA’s mission is "helping people during and after disasters," according to the agency’s website. 

When did the agency start?

The backstory:

FEMA was officially created in 1979 by an executive order by President Jimmy Carter. Shortly after the order, Carter gave FEMA the dual mission of emergency management and civil defense.

The agency’s authorities were defined and expanded by the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Amendments of 1988, which amended the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 and renamed it the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act). 

According to FEMA’s website, the Stafford Act provided direction for emergency management and established the current statutory framework for disaster response and recovery through presidential disaster declarations.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, President W. Bush signed the Homeland Security Act, leading to the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2002. On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security. 

Where does FEMA’s funding come from?

FEMA has a budget and a disaster relief fund. Congress funds FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), which the agency uses to pay for disaster relief, in the annual appropriations process. 

The Associated Press noted that the fund gets refilled annually by Congress and is used to pay for recovery from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and other disasters. The agency also pays for rebuilding from past disasters and for projects designed to protect communities against future disasters. 

FEMA also has individual assistance, designed to help residents affected by disasters, which can include one-time payments for emergency needs up to a trailer for someone who lost their house.

FEMA faces criticism

What they're saying:

During a visit to North Carolina, President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering "getting rid of" the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Trump made the comment during a briefing on the monthslong recovery from Hurricane Helene, the Associated Press reported.

"FEMA has been a very big disappointment," the Republican president said. "It’s very bureaucratic. And it’s very slow. Other than that, we’re very happy with them."

"FEMA just hasn’t done the job," he added. "We’re looking at the whole concept of FEMA."

Trump also hinted that there should be a revamping of the federal government’s role in responding to disasters. "I’d like to see the states take care of disasters," he said after landing in the Asheville area. "Let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen."

In 2024, FEMA was criticized by Trump, some politicians, and residents impacted by Hurricane Helene who questioned the agency’s response to the natural disaster, while spreading false claims that money for Helen was being used for foreign wars and unauthorized immigrants, the AP reported. 

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