The agency on Friday announced changes that seek to make it easier for more Americans who face damage to their homes or businesses to get federal funding in the wake of a disaster.
On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published its interim federal rule in the Federal Register and included climate change as a reason for the aid expansion.
“Climate change has elevated the need for the delivery of efficient disaster services and increased the need for … assistance,” it said.
“In response and in a step towards equity, the regulatory changes in this rule seek to add efficiency in the delivery of assistance to survivors by simplifying processes, removing barriers to entry, and increasing eligibility for certain types of assistance under the program,” it said.
The interim rule particularly noted that coastal areas face “repeat flooding, and storm surges.”
Under the rule, FEMA will expand which disasters are eligible for immediate cash assistance and will also create a new “displacement assistance” program to cover short-term housing for disaster survivors who cannot return to their homes.