Noem announces $1B FEMA payout to Georgia as Trump administration eyes agency overhaul

FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced $1 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding to Georgia for recovery projects and efforts related to 2024’s Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby, as well as healthcare facilities and “emergency protective measures” the state took during the pandemic.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the significant amount of federal funding will help Georgia communities “rebuild stronger” and will ensure accountability.

“This investment will repair and restore critical public infrastructure across Georgia, including schools, public safety facilities, utilities, and community services,” Noem told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Georgia communities are rebuilding stronger, and today’s approvals show this Administration’s commitment to streamlining assistance and ensuring accountability.”

The move comes as the Trump administration looks to restructure FEMA amid scrutiny on both the campaign trail and since the president took office.

Specifically, $671 million for emergency protective measures taken by Georgia healthcare facilities, including the employment of nurses and clinical care staff, sanitization efforts, personal protective equipment, and testing supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Among other funds: $350 million for more than 140 recovery projects related to Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debby, including $140 million to remove debris across more than 20 local jurisdictions; $179 million for emergency protective measures taken by local governments, electrical cooperatives and universities; and $17 million to repair roads, bridges and culverts across more than 20 municipalities. 

The remaining amount of funding is designated to support repairing public buildings and utilities across multiple communities, and investments in hazard-mitigation projects like eliminating repetitive flood risks in Richmond Hill, and providing generators statewide.

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White House officials rescheduled what was supposed to be a critical meeting to set the course for FEMA’s future on Thursday, leaving the restructuring of the agency up in the air.

Sources close to the meeting tell Fox News Digital that Noem didn’t find out the meeting was canceled until 12:26pm on Thursday. 

Noem has expressed to Fox in previous reporting her desire to “get rid” of the federal emergency relief agency “the way it exists today.”

Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, 2024, as a devastating Category 4 Atlantic hurricane that reached winds of up to 140 mph.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated that the storm caused roughly $79 billion in total damages, a historic amount that ranks among the most costly storms in U.S. history. 

Roughly 250 people were killed in the U.S., the most lives that have been taken by a storm in the country since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

At the time, FEMA was heavily criticized under the Biden administration for the pace of effort and the scope of aid, prompting congressional hearings examining FEMA’s preparedness, response, and recovery tactics and efforts. 

FEMA’s role in the recovery efforts was a key talking point for GOP officials on why the agency would be in need of an overhaul.