By London Evans, Julian Borrmann, Kayla Buckingham and Victoria Whitlock
Since 1979, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has made it possible to recover quickly and return to normal everyday life after natural disasters occur. With the organization facing potential changes, waterfront locals are anxious for answers about whether they will receive aid in the next hurricane season.
“Federal disaster aid is nearly everywhere,” Associated Press science writer Seth Borenstein said. “About 94% of Americans live in a county that has gotten FEMA help for disasters since 2011.”
President Donald Trump voiced his concerns about the productivity and success of FEMA. In January 2025, he threatened to dismantle FEMA because it “has been a very big disappointment.”
Since then, he has terminated hundreds of federal emergency employees. Many disaster-prone locations, such as Pinellas County, are left concerned about what this could mean for the future. Especially after the recent devastations from the 2024 hurricanes, Helene and Milton.
Mariah Kaylor, a Tampa Bay native, was working at the Emergency Operations Center for Pinellas County Emergency Management during Hurricane Helene.
“If FEMA wasn’t in the picture, we wouldn’t have bounced back as quickly,” Kaylor said. “It started with us going out and realizing that it was really bad, and people needed information. They didn’t know what to do besides clean. We handed out flyers on how debris should be separated and how to get FEMA assistance. We developed a community outreach program.”
After Hurricane Helene and Milton, 47,000 cubic yards of debris had been collected citywide. Meanwhile, FEMA provided immediate assistance to individuals, state and local governments and nonprofits that offer critical services.
“One nonprofit I thought was cool is World Central Kitchen,” Kaylor said. “Some people mentioned getting a meal from them. It is definitely a community effort.”
While the government program has its perks, some might say there are major flaws in the process as a whole.
“Most people didn’t know about disaster recovery centers,” Kaylor said. “There is also this corky thing with FEMA applications. Say you filled something out incorrectly and all you had to do was go back and add that information in, instead of telling you that, it would just tell you that your application was rejected.”
Jessica Witchie, a 30-year-old renter in St. Petersburg, said she had mixed emotions about her experience with FEMA.
“[It was] sometimes pleasant and sometimes extremely aggravating,” Witchie said. “Each time I got on the phone with a FEMA employee, they all provided different information, or some simply did not know anything at all.”
For some, this rejection came as a devastating blow.
“We talked to a lot of people who got rejected, and their whole house was destroyed,” Kaylor said. “So don’t take that as a final answer. It is very possible that they just clicked the wrong button. It is just a process. FEMA must have been overwhelmed.”
Witchie said the inconsistency in aid distribution also added to the frustration.
“We had friends who got relief money very quickly, while it took us about two months to finally get something,” she said. “I received money to recover the loss of items and for being displaced for two months. The money I received was extremely helpful and helped me recover everything that I had lost.”
The challenges of navigating FEMA’s assistance process were widespread, affecting renters and homeowners alike. While some struggled with delays and miscommunication, others found the aid to be a lifeline.
Pinellas County homeowners Amanda Walker and Olivia Scully said they had just begun their careers as elementary school teachers and recently purchased their first home when Hurricane Helene soaked everything they owned.
Scully and Walker endured multiple feet of water in their house, but despite the destruction, they said they believe that without FEMA’s assistance, they would have never been able to rebuild and return to their home.
“We were dealing with the loss of our entire life,” Scully said. “We would not be living in our home again, if it were not for the money that we got from FEMA. I could not imagine receiving the check that we received from FEMA, from the state of Florida.”
Like Scully and Walker, many others relied on FEMA’s assistance to recover not just their homes but also their financial stability. Beyond recovering lost belongings, aid provided much-needed financial stability while they struggled to get back on their feet.
While financial assistance was important for recovery, FEMA’s role goes beyond providing money. The agency also handles disaster response, making sure supplies and rescue teams are ready to help communities in need.
“The county emergency management has positions that are dedicated to directing volunteers,” Kaylor said. “That is to help direct what resources go where, [like] in an event where one area is getting more water bottles than another. They direct stuff like that.”
In addition to FEMA’s efforts, local governments are also investing in rebuilding their communities. For example, the Albert Whitted Airport was repaired before the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Feb. 28, as the city council approved $1.2 million for the project.
“Without FEMA aid, any city that gets hit with a natural disaster could very easily go bankrupt,” Kaylor said. “So, if the city is bankrupt, they can’t afford to make improvements or bring events here to bring in tourism. So, we were only going through that to get reimbursed for all the work the county did for emergency management. If we don’t go through those steps though, it is millions of dollars [for the] debris pickup, and the county is on the hook for that.”
While local governments can step in, disaster recovery is often too big of a task for any one city to handle alone.
Walker and Scully said they are eager to know what might happen if disaster response were left to the states. The two emphasized that disaster recovery should be a shared responsibility across the country.
“If we were all individually run by our states, then we would look like Europe,” Scully said. “We are a country that together is supposed to be able to rely on each other to come in and help. If we will not help other states and the federal government won’t help, than what’s the point of being united.”
Beyond funding issues, Witchie said she believes FEMA should improve its operations.
“After my experience, some changes I would suggest would be better training for their employees,” Witchie said. “They need to be able to provide accurate information, as it directly affects people’s livelihood.”
While FEMA has been a lifeline for many, it has limitations. Assistance is only available for a survivor’s primary residence, excluding second homes, vacation properties and rentals. As communities continue to rebuild, one question lingers: What would disaster recovery look like without FEMA?