As someone who lives in Western North Carolina, the past few weeks have been tough. Walking through Asheville and surrounding towns, it is heartbreaking to see what remains in the wake of Hurricane Helene — homes torn apart, cars flipped, furniture covered in mud.

Small towns once held together by schools and local shops now face broken windows and collapsed roofs. This devastation is not just an isolated incident; it is part of a relentless series of disasters that hit our communities year after year, made worse by crumbling infrastructure and unchecked development in vulnerable areas.

As FEMA administrator beginning in 2017, I witnessed the agency stretched thin by one crisis after another — a pattern that has only intensified since I left office five years ago. Today, FEMA is managing more than 100 active disaster recovery efforts nationwide and that does not account for the other crises they have been called to support other federal agencies with, like the COVID-19 pandemic and the southern border.

Originally designed to be adaptable, our nation’s disaster management system has become bogged down by bureaucracy. Nearly 90 different recovery programs span 30 federal agencies, creating delays and confusion at the very moments when survivors and communities need swift, clear support. Small, incremental policy changes are no longer enough; we need reforms that accelerate recovery, eliminate roadblocks........

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