This hits especially hard in Baghdad By the Sea. With the Atlantic Ocean to the east and a maximum elevation of 42 feet above sea level Miami's geography makes it highly vulnerable to hurricanes. This season, Florida is predicted to have the highest risk of being impacted by a hurricane among all U.S. states. Specifically, there's a 92% chance of a named storm impacting Florida and a 65% chance of a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is located in Miami on the main campus of Florida International University. "Hurricane and climate researchers in Miami were hit in the latest wave of cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The mass layoffs from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — more than 600, according to the former agency head — include at least one high-profile meteorologist in Miami and another charged with integrating artificial intelligence into climate and weather predictions. “Every office in NOAA was hit by these indiscriminate, misguided, ill-intentioned reforms,” said Rick Spinrad, former director of NOAA.
"All requests for comment to NOAA, the National Hurricane Center and the Hurricane Research Division were unanswered. Instead, officials provided a statement saying the agency does not comment on internal personnel matters."
Meanwhile, hurricanes can be an opportunity for fraud. E.G. An investigation by the Associated Press in 2016 found little evidence that Wilma severely damaged Mar-a-Lago, despite Trump saying in a 2007 court deposition that he had been paid $17 million on an insurance claim after the storm.
High tides and water in the streets. Saltwater incursion into freshwater wells. Floods. Red tides. Heat waves. Fires. Oh Florida, y'all are going to need every scientist on the planet, much less the work they do on hurricane prediction!
Everyone will have to face some of this, and there won't be much of beautiful Florida left to retire to. I always appreciate the info and the fight in you, Daniel.
Musk and company have a vested interest in making the world less and less inhabitable. He can use it to justify his fantasy of abandoning earth and inhabiting another planet and thereby continuing to seek government assistance to fund and remove any obstacles in his way.
As Robert Frost said “earth is the best place for love, I don’t know where it’s likely to go better”. I prefer to treat our mother with love and kindness.
Abandoning Earth is one "solution". Another is fostering a major die-off of the population several billon humans, brothers and sisters all, could be viewed as superfluous, especially with the AI Revolution at hand. What better means to create a more sustainable planet than a great cull of the riff riff?
Who's going to do their laundry, cut their grass, cook their food, take care of them when they get sick and old and their kids don't give a damn? Not to mention, who's going to buy the products they want to sell? Other rich dudes? Not bloody likely. Skum wants to disappear into his own enclave/rocketship. He doesn't give a damn.
By the time musk will be able to inhabit another planet he'll be way dead and gone....
I share Thom's incredulity. What I cannot digest is how these billionaires with such power don't give one little turd for the well-being of their descendants who will surely denounce them for what they're doing to us and the state in which they will find their planet earth....
The main goal is to create chaos. Decoy, keep the people busy with their problems and then the dictatorship with all these emergency laws will flourish and von trump will be crowned life emperor of the world. No less. Maga and corrupt gop do not care about lives. Still not clear enough? Poor America
When the East Coast suffers the hurricanes, the Midwest has the tornadoes, and the West Coast has the fires, he will be golfing or visiting some damn dictator. Heaven help us if we have to depend on the Psychopath to rescue and evacuate people when we have "the Big One". The earthquake/tsunami that is expected was discussed and plans were made during the Obama days. You can bet that program was burned in the dumpster fire that is this Administration.
Have a family and community plan. Listen to your county safety manager. A go-bag has become a must. Food, water and a blanket in your car is a good idea. Elect Dems!
Thanks Thom. Soon everyone will be as angry as you are. See you in the streets.
Currently, Trump's point man in FEMA, David Richardson, is trying to carry out Trump's "vision" of a FEMA 2.0, as they call it. What they want to do is move more of the disaster relief to the states, itself an absurd notion. But they have broken down the Federal component of disaster relief without building up the state component. I'm predicting a "heckuva job, Brownie!" Katrina 2.0.
It is still unclear if FEMA flood insurance is now dead along with FEMA. The reason for asking is that nearly all home insurance for storms requires FEMA insurance to pay for any and all interior water damage from say a tree falling on a window or flying debris smashing a window and letting torrential rain flood the living room and destroying the furniture, rugs, etc. So, without FEMA flood insurance, most people will technically be uninsured for storm damage.
Our problem in Florida is the participating insurance companies usually go bankrupt. The Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (FIGA) does not provide flood insurance. FIGA's primary role is to protect Florida policyholders and beneficiaries when an insurance company becomes insolvent. They cover claims for losses that occurred before or within 30 days after the insolvent company's liquidation, provided the policyholder hasn't replaced the policy. FIGA's coverage is separate from and does not include flood insurance.
AI: Rate Reforms:
FEMA has implemented reforms in 2021 to better align flood insurance premiums with the risk of flood damage at individual properties. However, this has also led to concerns about affordability, as some properties may experience significant premium increases.
Potential Insolvency:
The combination of underpricing, high debt, and the potential for increased premiums due to risk-based pricing has raised concerns about the NFIP's long-term solvency and the ability to meet future claims.
Federal Support:
The program relies on federal support, including borrowing authority and potential appropriations, to ensure its financial viability.
Reauthorization and Reform:
The NFIP's authority is subject to reauthorization by Congress, and there have been ongoing discussions about reforms to address the program's financial challenges and improve its effectiveness.
I have posted on this before. The Florida (and US) insurance problem is a lack of building codes to ensure hardened homes. It is still permissible to build a house in a floodplain. Moreover, the vast majority of American houses are wood-frame with light shingled roofing that not only blows off in storms but easily catches fire in wildfires. Once the roof blows off, woodframe houses are not damaged by hurricanes; they are a total loss.
In contrast, the vast majority of houses in Europe are built with concrete walls and heavy tile roofs. That probably explains why there are so many houses in Europe that are over 150 years old despite storms and wildfires. Most native Floridians know to build/buy houses like in Europe. This post-Michael photo speaks volumes: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/us/mexico-beach-house-hurricane-trnd
After Andrew, 1992, the South Florida Builiing Code, the toughest in the country is required.
IMHO our insurance problem is that the companies steal the premiums. Where I live, only 1 or 2 companies write homeowners' insurance. We have a state subsidized high risk comany, Citizens.
The toughest building code in the country is the Miami/Dade code, which was applied to my house on A1A in Central FL to certify it as hurricane-proof. It lowered my rates bigly once we put in the final hurricane-proof windows. No idea what code you are referring to - is that the one that allows developers all over the state to keep building woodframe houses on reclaimed swampland?
After several hurricanes and bankrupt insurance companies, our rates started edging up again. So, I cancelled my wind mitigation coverage and just kept everything else. That brought our rates down to 10% of what I was paying 10 years ago.
The rates are not important if you can't sue insurers for damages.
AI Hurricane Andrew prompted significant changes to Florida's building codes, particularly in South Florida, resulting in stricter regulations aimed at enhancing wind resistance and reducing storm damage. The first post-Andrew code, the South Florida Building Code, was enacted in 1994, followed by the statewide Florida Building Code (FBC) in 2002, which included special provisions for High-Velocity Hurricane Zones.
Here in Baghdad By the Sea, code enforcement officers are extremely strict...and many seek "propinos," payoffs.
Despite strict codes, we generally have the highest rates in the country. -- by far.
Our Republican legislature has the following remedies.
Key Actions and Legislation:
House Bill 1503:
Allows surplus lines insurance companies to take over policies from Citizens Property Insurance for non-primary residences, providing more options for homeowners.
Senate Bill 7052:
Enhances consumer protection by introducing stricter regulations on insurance practices and increasing transparency, ensuring homeowners have clearer information about their policies and premiums.
Senate Bill 2-A:
Eliminates one-way attorney fees for property insurance claims, mandates faster claim payments, and streamlines the claims process.
SB 2-D and SB 2A:
These bills address the property insurance crisis by providing reinsurance options for private insurance companies and supporting the private market.
HB 1611:
Requires insurers to file supplemental reports monthly, rather than quarterly, and provide data broken down by zip code.
HB 841:
Prohibits insurers from canceling or non-renewing policies within certain timeframes after hurricane or wind damage, and provides that such prohibition applies to flood damages caused by hurricanes.
HB 1541:
Specifies requirements for roof coverage in property insurance policies, including offering roof reimbursement based on replacement costs.
HB 13:
Requires Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to make windstorm coverage available to homeowners and commercial structures.
Impact and Future:
These legislative changes aim to address the challenges in the Florida property insurance market, including rising premiums, concerns about claims processing, and the role of Citizens Property Insurance. By strengthening consumer protections, streamlining processes, and providing reinsurance options, lawmakers hope to stabilize the market and create a more sustainable environment for homeowners and insurers alike. The Florida Legislature continues to monitor the situation and adjust legislation as needed, recognizing the ongoing challenges and complexities of the property insurance market in Florida.
They want to kill FEMA. Richardson was just appointed and is lost at sea. His mission is to kill his own position.
Jared Moskowitz, D FL, is partnering with Tim Burchett R TN on legislation to streamline the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s block grants program for faster disaster aid deployment.
The related bills, titled the Disaster Housing Flexibility Act and Disaster Response Flexibility Act, would allow states to opt into block grants for housing and public assistance after a major disaster declaration.
“By allowing states to deploy this critical disaster assistance through block grants, we can get it to communities in need faster than is done now,” Moskowitz said in a statement.
Moskowitz — a past Florida Emergency Management Director who in December was reportedly being eyed to lead FEMA under President Donald Trump — also re-filed his FEMA Independence Act to restore FEMA to a Cabinet-level agency.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples, the current Republican frontrunner for Governor in 2026, co-introduced the measure with Moskowitz.
FEMA today operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where bureaucracy is “getting in the way of FEMA fulfilling its core mission,” he said.
“Under DHS, FEMA has become a grant agency that also does emergency management, rather than an emergency management agency that also does grants. To cut red tape and improve FEMA’s effectiveness, we have to get it out of DHS — which my FEMA Independence Act does by reinstating FEMA as a Cabinet agency that reports directly to the President — and we have to get FEMA’s resources closer to the ground faster through block grants.”
The Disaster Housing Flexibility Act and Disaster Response Flexibility Act would create a new block grant program under the Stafford Act, which provides a framework for federal disaster response and recovery.
If passed, the bills would provide that once the President issues a major disaster declaration, states would be able to voluntarily apply for block grants covering housing assistance and public assistance, including debris removal and infrastructure projects.
States that tap into the block grants would not be able to receive other direct public assistance under the Stafford Act for the disaster for which the block grants were provided. But they could request a single adjustment to the block grant sum provided if the initial amount proves insufficient.
Any leftover funds could be used for emergency preparedness or mitigation.
Moskowitz’s office said the bills would also increase spending transparency by requiring each recipient state to submit a plan on how it intends to spend the funds and an annual report on funds spent, funds remaining and an assessment of their impact.
Richardson would have to tell Congress which states are participating and how the programs and their resources have been implemented.
States that decide not to pursue the block grant funding for housing and public assistance could still receive federal support as it now exists under the Stafford Act. And regardless of whether a state chooses to seek the funds, it would still be eligible for all other FEMA response, recovery and assistance programs.
“FEMA can’t be eliminated,” Moskowitz said. “But we can save it by reforming it.”
To get air time, Moskowitz also whistles and does bird calls.
Follow the money. How do you extract the 50 percent of economic spending carried out by the lowest 90 percent of income earners? Ignore their needs, scuttle their shell of protections, drive them into homelessness, steal their property and blame everything on them, The idea here is that when 10 percent of spenders account for 50 percent of spending, the only real avenue of future grift is to move the other 50 percent into their column as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Do no believe, for a microsecond, that the elite give a shit about the 90 percent. All they want are their resources, savings, property, and insurance. Muck is on record as saying that civilization will die off without AI, while others say it will die off due to AI. Both are true. AI counts stuff and makes numerical connections and works out probabilities in math, not mitochondria. They already know the pooch is screwed. Now they are circling their wagons. The thousands of little talking satellites Muck has shoved into the ionosphere are for them to talk to each other and watch from above for how to keep out of harms way while most things fall apart.
Science, in all its permutations, along with rigorous research and independent publication, is the only human effort to figure out how to save itself from human-self. Kill that, and you have a burning heap of carbon to live on all by yourself. If you have a yacht the size of an aircraft carrier, it still has to cruise in a hot sea of dead protoplasm, dodging rogue waves and killer storms.
Believe me, the elites detest each other. They all are sadistic psychopaths, clever, cunning, manipulative, phony. They see the End Times now, and idiotically think they can survive it, either in a spacesuit on Mars or some bunker, some Fortress of Solitude, north of the 60th parallel.
At least we now what our individual worth is- zilch, nada. We are all expendable but maggots will pay a higher price as they did during COVID. Some people never learn.
Schadenfreude, Those that will suffer the most, are the ones that voted for Fascism. I pity the poor and minorities, but maybe that was what all of this cutting was about. Maybe they figured the whites would take care of themselves, had the means, and that the poor and minority would suffer and die. "Slow genocide by passivity?
Regarding the probability that either Putin or the Oligarchy (or both) is responsible for NOAA's cuts, remember Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.". DOGE is cutting Medicaid, Veterans' benefits, Headstart and Big Bird, and they are hungering to go after Social Security and Medicare. Stupidity vastly overshadows malevolence considering the part of the nation most likely to be impacted by such a cut overwhelmingly voted for Trump and the MAGAverse.
It isn't all about climate denial and wreckage of federal agencies; it's also about privatization of weather data. AccuWeather has been trying for decades to eliminate NWS as a "competitor." If you can tolerate John Oliver's oratory style, in this clip from several years ago, he presents a pretty good picture of weather info (mis)management by AccuWeather. Simply stated: If you pay, you might/might not get good and timely info; but, if you don't pay - well, oops, too bad.
We live on the east coast of Florida. A RED state. From right to work for less, to lousy wages, to the governor who could care less about the people he represents, to the two republican senators, one which took the 5th what 75 times during the investigation of the largest medicare fraud of a hospital he was CEO of and never took a hit, then was somehow elected governor twice by people that lost their minds and voted for a person who most definitely does not have their interests in mind when he votes to take away rights. And the cycle continues. Yes, people all across the country are going to be killed by these extreme weather events, not because they happen, but the republican "party" refuses to acknowledge anything beyond their dear leaders "authority" and denial of what they are doing to the environment.
This hits especially hard in Baghdad By the Sea. With the Atlantic Ocean to the east and a maximum elevation of 42 feet above sea level Miami's geography makes it highly vulnerable to hurricanes. This season, Florida is predicted to have the highest risk of being impacted by a hurricane among all U.S. states. Specifically, there's a 92% chance of a named storm impacting Florida and a 65% chance of a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is located in Miami on the main campus of Florida International University. "Hurricane and climate researchers in Miami were hit in the latest wave of cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. The mass layoffs from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — more than 600, according to the former agency head — include at least one high-profile meteorologist in Miami and another charged with integrating artificial intelligence into climate and weather predictions. “Every office in NOAA was hit by these indiscriminate, misguided, ill-intentioned reforms,” said Rick Spinrad, former director of NOAA.
"All requests for comment to NOAA, the National Hurricane Center and the Hurricane Research Division were unanswered. Instead, officials provided a statement saying the agency does not comment on internal personnel matters."
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article301177914.html#storylink=cpy
Meanwhile, hurricanes can be an opportunity for fraud. E.G. An investigation by the Associated Press in 2016 found little evidence that Wilma severely damaged Mar-a-Lago, despite Trump saying in a 2007 court deposition that he had been paid $17 million on an insurance claim after the storm.
High tides and water in the streets. Saltwater incursion into freshwater wells. Floods. Red tides. Heat waves. Fires. Oh Florida, y'all are going to need every scientist on the planet, much less the work they do on hurricane prediction!
Everyone will have to face some of this, and there won't be much of beautiful Florida left to retire to. I always appreciate the info and the fight in you, Daniel.
Musk and company have a vested interest in making the world less and less inhabitable. He can use it to justify his fantasy of abandoning earth and inhabiting another planet and thereby continuing to seek government assistance to fund and remove any obstacles in his way.
As Robert Frost said “earth is the best place for love, I don’t know where it’s likely to go better”. I prefer to treat our mother with love and kindness.
Abandoning Earth is one "solution". Another is fostering a major die-off of the population several billon humans, brothers and sisters all, could be viewed as superfluous, especially with the AI Revolution at hand. What better means to create a more sustainable planet than a great cull of the riff riff?
Who's going to do their laundry, cut their grass, cook their food, take care of them when they get sick and old and their kids don't give a damn? Not to mention, who's going to buy the products they want to sell? Other rich dudes? Not bloody likely. Skum wants to disappear into his own enclave/rocketship. He doesn't give a damn.
Machines of loving grace.
By the time musk will be able to inhabit another planet he'll be way dead and gone....
I share Thom's incredulity. What I cannot digest is how these billionaires with such power don't give one little turd for the well-being of their descendants who will surely denounce them for what they're doing to us and the state in which they will find their planet earth....
Musk is 53. Fifty f-ing three! How right you are, Sofia.
Fought a pipeline and the argument "for" was always JOBS. Your statement was my counter---the next generations will suffer and they will hate you.
We are at that inflection point of: now that we know better, we should DO better.
The main goal is to create chaos. Decoy, keep the people busy with their problems and then the dictatorship with all these emergency laws will flourish and von trump will be crowned life emperor of the world. No less. Maga and corrupt gop do not care about lives. Still not clear enough? Poor America
Nailed it, Jack!
Trump renames Earth. Musk becomes ruler of Mars. The scariest place? Inside their heads. Psychopaths.
Trump's song will not be "Hold On I'm Coming".
When the East Coast suffers the hurricanes, the Midwest has the tornadoes, and the West Coast has the fires, he will be golfing or visiting some damn dictator. Heaven help us if we have to depend on the Psychopath to rescue and evacuate people when we have "the Big One". The earthquake/tsunami that is expected was discussed and plans were made during the Obama days. You can bet that program was burned in the dumpster fire that is this Administration.
Have a family and community plan. Listen to your county safety manager. A go-bag has become a must. Food, water and a blanket in your car is a good idea. Elect Dems!
Thanks Thom. Soon everyone will be as angry as you are. See you in the streets.
Currently, Trump's point man in FEMA, David Richardson, is trying to carry out Trump's "vision" of a FEMA 2.0, as they call it. What they want to do is move more of the disaster relief to the states, itself an absurd notion. But they have broken down the Federal component of disaster relief without building up the state component. I'm predicting a "heckuva job, Brownie!" Katrina 2.0.
It is still unclear if FEMA flood insurance is now dead along with FEMA. The reason for asking is that nearly all home insurance for storms requires FEMA insurance to pay for any and all interior water damage from say a tree falling on a window or flying debris smashing a window and letting torrential rain flood the living room and destroying the furniture, rugs, etc. So, without FEMA flood insurance, most people will technically be uninsured for storm damage.
The internet link works. https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance
Our problem in Florida is the participating insurance companies usually go bankrupt. The Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (FIGA) does not provide flood insurance. FIGA's primary role is to protect Florida policyholders and beneficiaries when an insurance company becomes insolvent. They cover claims for losses that occurred before or within 30 days after the insolvent company's liquidation, provided the policyholder hasn't replaced the policy. FIGA's coverage is separate from and does not include flood insurance.
AI: Rate Reforms:
FEMA has implemented reforms in 2021 to better align flood insurance premiums with the risk of flood damage at individual properties. However, this has also led to concerns about affordability, as some properties may experience significant premium increases.
Potential Insolvency:
The combination of underpricing, high debt, and the potential for increased premiums due to risk-based pricing has raised concerns about the NFIP's long-term solvency and the ability to meet future claims.
Federal Support:
The program relies on federal support, including borrowing authority and potential appropriations, to ensure its financial viability.
Reauthorization and Reform:
The NFIP's authority is subject to reauthorization by Congress, and there have been ongoing discussions about reforms to address the program's financial challenges and improve its effectiveness.
I have posted on this before. The Florida (and US) insurance problem is a lack of building codes to ensure hardened homes. It is still permissible to build a house in a floodplain. Moreover, the vast majority of American houses are wood-frame with light shingled roofing that not only blows off in storms but easily catches fire in wildfires. Once the roof blows off, woodframe houses are not damaged by hurricanes; they are a total loss.
In contrast, the vast majority of houses in Europe are built with concrete walls and heavy tile roofs. That probably explains why there are so many houses in Europe that are over 150 years old despite storms and wildfires. Most native Floridians know to build/buy houses like in Europe. This post-Michael photo speaks volumes: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/us/mexico-beach-house-hurricane-trnd
After Andrew, 1992, the South Florida Builiing Code, the toughest in the country is required.
IMHO our insurance problem is that the companies steal the premiums. Where I live, only 1 or 2 companies write homeowners' insurance. We have a state subsidized high risk comany, Citizens.
The toughest building code in the country is the Miami/Dade code, which was applied to my house on A1A in Central FL to certify it as hurricane-proof. It lowered my rates bigly once we put in the final hurricane-proof windows. No idea what code you are referring to - is that the one that allows developers all over the state to keep building woodframe houses on reclaimed swampland?
After several hurricanes and bankrupt insurance companies, our rates started edging up again. So, I cancelled my wind mitigation coverage and just kept everything else. That brought our rates down to 10% of what I was paying 10 years ago.
The rates are not important if you can't sue insurers for damages.
AI Hurricane Andrew prompted significant changes to Florida's building codes, particularly in South Florida, resulting in stricter regulations aimed at enhancing wind resistance and reducing storm damage. The first post-Andrew code, the South Florida Building Code, was enacted in 1994, followed by the statewide Florida Building Code (FBC) in 2002, which included special provisions for High-Velocity Hurricane Zones.
This is the Broward version as of 1994. https://www.broward.org/CodeAppeals/Documents/Library/1994-SFBC%20-acces.pdf
HX
https://www.miamidade.gov/global/economy/board-and-code/building-code-history.page
Here in Baghdad By the Sea, code enforcement officers are extremely strict...and many seek "propinos," payoffs.
Despite strict codes, we generally have the highest rates in the country. -- by far.
Our Republican legislature has the following remedies.
Key Actions and Legislation:
House Bill 1503:
Allows surplus lines insurance companies to take over policies from Citizens Property Insurance for non-primary residences, providing more options for homeowners.
Senate Bill 7052:
Enhances consumer protection by introducing stricter regulations on insurance practices and increasing transparency, ensuring homeowners have clearer information about their policies and premiums.
Senate Bill 2-A:
Eliminates one-way attorney fees for property insurance claims, mandates faster claim payments, and streamlines the claims process.
SB 2-D and SB 2A:
These bills address the property insurance crisis by providing reinsurance options for private insurance companies and supporting the private market.
HB 1611:
Requires insurers to file supplemental reports monthly, rather than quarterly, and provide data broken down by zip code.
HB 841:
Prohibits insurers from canceling or non-renewing policies within certain timeframes after hurricane or wind damage, and provides that such prohibition applies to flood damages caused by hurricanes.
HB 1541:
Specifies requirements for roof coverage in property insurance policies, including offering roof reimbursement based on replacement costs.
HB 13:
Requires Citizens Property Insurance Corporation to make windstorm coverage available to homeowners and commercial structures.
Impact and Future:
These legislative changes aim to address the challenges in the Florida property insurance market, including rising premiums, concerns about claims processing, and the role of Citizens Property Insurance. By strengthening consumer protections, streamlining processes, and providing reinsurance options, lawmakers hope to stabilize the market and create a more sustainable environment for homeowners and insurers alike. The Florida Legislature continues to monitor the situation and adjust legislation as needed, recognizing the ongoing challenges and complexities of the property insurance market in Florida.
They want to kill FEMA. Richardson was just appointed and is lost at sea. His mission is to kill his own position.
Jared Moskowitz, D FL, is partnering with Tim Burchett R TN on legislation to streamline the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s block grants program for faster disaster aid deployment.
The related bills, titled the Disaster Housing Flexibility Act and Disaster Response Flexibility Act, would allow states to opt into block grants for housing and public assistance after a major disaster declaration.
“By allowing states to deploy this critical disaster assistance through block grants, we can get it to communities in need faster than is done now,” Moskowitz said in a statement.
Moskowitz — a past Florida Emergency Management Director who in December was reportedly being eyed to lead FEMA under President Donald Trump — also re-filed his FEMA Independence Act to restore FEMA to a Cabinet-level agency.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples, the current Republican frontrunner for Governor in 2026, co-introduced the measure with Moskowitz.
FEMA today operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where bureaucracy is “getting in the way of FEMA fulfilling its core mission,” he said.
“Under DHS, FEMA has become a grant agency that also does emergency management, rather than an emergency management agency that also does grants. To cut red tape and improve FEMA’s effectiveness, we have to get it out of DHS — which my FEMA Independence Act does by reinstating FEMA as a Cabinet agency that reports directly to the President — and we have to get FEMA’s resources closer to the ground faster through block grants.”
The Disaster Housing Flexibility Act and Disaster Response Flexibility Act would create a new block grant program under the Stafford Act, which provides a framework for federal disaster response and recovery.
If passed, the bills would provide that once the President issues a major disaster declaration, states would be able to voluntarily apply for block grants covering housing assistance and public assistance, including debris removal and infrastructure projects.
States that tap into the block grants would not be able to receive other direct public assistance under the Stafford Act for the disaster for which the block grants were provided. But they could request a single adjustment to the block grant sum provided if the initial amount proves insufficient.
Any leftover funds could be used for emergency preparedness or mitigation.
Moskowitz’s office said the bills would also increase spending transparency by requiring each recipient state to submit a plan on how it intends to spend the funds and an annual report on funds spent, funds remaining and an assessment of their impact.
Richardson would have to tell Congress which states are participating and how the programs and their resources have been implemented.
States that decide not to pursue the block grant funding for housing and public assistance could still receive federal support as it now exists under the Stafford Act. And regardless of whether a state chooses to seek the funds, it would still be eligible for all other FEMA response, recovery and assistance programs.
“FEMA can’t be eliminated,” Moskowitz said. “But we can save it by reforming it.”
To get air time, Moskowitz also whistles and does bird calls.
Follow the money. How do you extract the 50 percent of economic spending carried out by the lowest 90 percent of income earners? Ignore their needs, scuttle their shell of protections, drive them into homelessness, steal their property and blame everything on them, The idea here is that when 10 percent of spenders account for 50 percent of spending, the only real avenue of future grift is to move the other 50 percent into their column as quickly and cheaply as possible.
Do no believe, for a microsecond, that the elite give a shit about the 90 percent. All they want are their resources, savings, property, and insurance. Muck is on record as saying that civilization will die off without AI, while others say it will die off due to AI. Both are true. AI counts stuff and makes numerical connections and works out probabilities in math, not mitochondria. They already know the pooch is screwed. Now they are circling their wagons. The thousands of little talking satellites Muck has shoved into the ionosphere are for them to talk to each other and watch from above for how to keep out of harms way while most things fall apart.
Science, in all its permutations, along with rigorous research and independent publication, is the only human effort to figure out how to save itself from human-self. Kill that, and you have a burning heap of carbon to live on all by yourself. If you have a yacht the size of an aircraft carrier, it still has to cruise in a hot sea of dead protoplasm, dodging rogue waves and killer storms.
Believe me, the elites detest each other. They all are sadistic psychopaths, clever, cunning, manipulative, phony. They see the End Times now, and idiotically think they can survive it, either in a spacesuit on Mars or some bunker, some Fortress of Solitude, north of the 60th parallel.
Give up or fight like hell. Your choice.
SPOT ON, MICK!
There are so many rich-bitches that have built their fantasy "boltholes" in New Zealand, that the locals hate them.
At least we now what our individual worth is- zilch, nada. We are all expendable but maggots will pay a higher price as they did during COVID. Some people never learn.
Know.
The administration should be sued for neglect and all storm damages that could have been avoided
I'm working my beads that Mar-A-Lardo will be wiped off the map along with its occupants on a golf weekend.
Schadenfreude, Those that will suffer the most, are the ones that voted for Fascism. I pity the poor and minorities, but maybe that was what all of this cutting was about. Maybe they figured the whites would take care of themselves, had the means, and that the poor and minority would suffer and die. "Slow genocide by passivity?
More tax cuts for billionaires aren't going pay for themselves!
Well Thom, I will have to say Putin. The OilygarKKKs are in line behind him or on equal footing.
Regarding the probability that either Putin or the Oligarchy (or both) is responsible for NOAA's cuts, remember Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.". DOGE is cutting Medicaid, Veterans' benefits, Headstart and Big Bird, and they are hungering to go after Social Security and Medicare. Stupidity vastly overshadows malevolence considering the part of the nation most likely to be impacted by such a cut overwhelmingly voted for Trump and the MAGAverse.
It isn't all about climate denial and wreckage of federal agencies; it's also about privatization of weather data. AccuWeather has been trying for decades to eliminate NWS as a "competitor." If you can tolerate John Oliver's oratory style, in this clip from several years ago, he presents a pretty good picture of weather info (mis)management by AccuWeather. Simply stated: If you pay, you might/might not get good and timely info; but, if you don't pay - well, oops, too bad.
https://www.reddit.com/r/weather/comments/dhrvtt/accuweather_is_trying_to_destroy_the_natl_weather/
Good writing! terrible work by the mush and felon ..
We live on the east coast of Florida. A RED state. From right to work for less, to lousy wages, to the governor who could care less about the people he represents, to the two republican senators, one which took the 5th what 75 times during the investigation of the largest medicare fraud of a hospital he was CEO of and never took a hit, then was somehow elected governor twice by people that lost their minds and voted for a person who most definitely does not have their interests in mind when he votes to take away rights. And the cycle continues. Yes, people all across the country are going to be killed by these extreme weather events, not because they happen, but the republican "party" refuses to acknowledge anything beyond their dear leaders "authority" and denial of what they are doing to the environment.