Communities are waiting on billions in disaster funding from the Trump administration
Source: NPR
April 10, 2026 5:15 AM ET
Placerville, Calif., bears all the markers of a community at risk of a wildfire. The city's rolling hillsides are dense with brush, which dries out during the hot summers. Older homes made of wood, which are more prone to igniting, are dotted throughout. "It's a perfect storm for devastation," says Tanya Harlow, wildfire resilience officer for El Dorado County, where Placerville is located.
Local officials are trying to do something about it. The community is one of a handful piloting a program to help houses survive wildfires. Residents can get financial support to add fire-resistant building materials and to clear flammable brush around their homes. The program is largely funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
For three years, the county staff has been preparing to enroll more than 500 homes. But under the Trump administration, the project has been stalled for more than a year. The county needs FEMA to approve the project plan, but the agency hasn't responded. Placerville is one of hundreds of communities around the country waiting on a growing backlog at FEMA.
States say that under the Trump administration, disaster funding payments have slowed to a trickle, delaying crucial projects that could help communities withstand wildfires, hurricanes and floods. In all, FEMA owes communities almost $10 billion, according to internal agency documents obtained by NPR. Much of that funding would reimburse local governments for what they've already spent repairing infrastructure after major disasters.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/04/10/nx-s1-5770433/delay-funding-fema-hurricanes-disasters-wildfires-floods
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