John,

Communities up and down the east coast of the United States are struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene and now Hurricane Milton is right on its heels. According to weather reports, Hurricane Milton—with storm surges that are expected to be as high as 15 feet—has the capacity to be one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in history.¹

The need for disaster relief will only increase as we continue to deal with the impacts of the climate catastrophe. But people need help now and senior appropriator Rep. Rosa DeLauro is calling on Congress to increase disaster relief funding:²

“The devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene further highlights the fact that it is far past time for Speaker Johnson to agree to a comprehensive disaster package that helps individuals, small businesses, and communities fully recover. The $20 billion in last week’s bill ensures that FEMA has sufficient resources for immediate response and recovery efforts due to Helene, but it is a far cry from what communities will ultimately need.”

This was written before the threat of Hurricane Milton was known, making the need for more funds even greater. Congress must ensure that FEMA has sufficient funding for life-saving and disaster relief programs through at least September 2025. It is imperative that lawmakers come together and pass comprehensive emergency disaster supplemental funding for natural disasters.

Send a direct message to Congress urging them to increase disaster relief funding.

Helping communities recover from disasters is a critical role of the federal government. FEMA is carrying out its responsibilities now, but will need more funds soon. We know that the communities that will be most impacted by hurricanes and natural disasters include communities of color, people with disabilities, and rural and low-income communities.

We cannot sacrifice the most vulnerable in our society due to partisan squabbling or outright lies about what FEMA disaster relief funding is being used for.

There will be much more to do to help communities rebuild―families need access to safe and affordable housing, quality health care, and investments that prioritize equity including HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, which provides flexible grants to help cities, counties, and states recover from disasters and rebuild affordable housing and other infrastructure after a disaster, especially in low-income areas.

We must address the climate crisis―and that can include eliminating tax breaks for fossil fuel companies when Congress takes up tax legislation next year, which would also increase revenue by almost $110 billion over 10 years to make much-needed investments.³ As long as extreme weather is our reality, the federal government must provide life-saving support.

Call on Congress to do its job and pass comprehensive disaster funding.

Thank you for all you do,

Meredith Dodson
Senior Director of Public Policy, CHN Action

¹ Hurricane Milton's storm surge threat is growing. Here's what Tampa Bay should watch out for.
² DeLauro Renews Call for Comprehensive Emergency Disaster Supplemental
³ Fossil Fuel Tax Break Cut Proposal 4.0