Parametric Block Grants Could Fix Some of FEMA’s Worst Problems

Dominik Lett

Federal intervention into America’s state-led disaster management system has produced a long list of ills, including slow response times, inadequate mitigation, ballooning costs, and wasteful spending. The administration and Congress are separately considering reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers federal disaster assistance. One idea being floated, block grants with parametric triggers, would ameliorate a few of FEMA’s many issues...