Across the United States, counties which grapple with frequent severe snowstorms can only receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) if the National Weather Service (NWS) determines it received a record or near record 1-day, 2-day, or 3-day snowfall. As defined by the NWS, a “day” refers to a full calendar day, “which is consistent with first-order climate records. Measurable snowfall (at least 0.1 inches) had to fall on 2 (3) consecutive days in order for it to count as a 2 (3)-day snowfall total.” FEMA considers “near record” to mean within 10 percent of the record snowfall.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), together with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and a significant bipartisan cohort of senators, sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, requesting the agency update its methodology for determining what warrants federal reimbursement of snow-related activities following a severe snowstorm. The current policy does not allow counties or Tribal communities to claim expenses for snow removal, de-icing, salting, creating snow dumps, and sanding roads in their major disaster declaration applications if the snowstorm’s severity does not surpass NWS records.
The senators suggest FEMA should work with the NWS to devise a “multi-pronged, statistically driven approach to develop an inclusive and complete system for assessing which snowstorms rise to the level of a federal response.”
“With extreme storm systems becoming increasingly common, FEMA must be prepared with formulae that help ensure an appropriate disaster response. […] Increasingly intense and destructive snowstorms across the United States in recent years have highlighted why FEMA must update its methodology to ensure that federal funds can flow to communities that have been inundated with storms beyond their capacity to respond to,” the senators wrote. “We stand ready to support FEMA as it develops a more inclusive and complete reimbursement methodology for future storms.”
“We are confident that a multi-pronged, statistically driven approach for determining if federal reimbursement for snow-related activities is warranted following a severe snowstorm, and strongly believe that this interpretation will allow FEMA to better fulfill its mission to help people before, during, and after disasters,” the senators concluded. “Our states’ residents have seen firsthand how difficult it is to dig out after a severe snowstorm, and FEMA’s assistance is critical to ensuring that communities impacted by severe weather can recover and rebuild to be more prepared for the next storm.”
Click here for the letter.
