Placerville, Calif., and dozens of other communities nationwide are awaiting billions in federal disaster dollars meant to help them prepare for and rebuild after wildfires, storms and floods. In El Dorado County, officials have spent years lining up a pilot program to retrofit more than 500 homes with fire‑resistant materials and clear flammable brush. The Weber Creek Project, a $25 million plan approved by FEMA in 2023, would offer homeowners up to $40,000 each for work, but it has been stalled for more than a year because FEMA has not finished required environmental reviews or released the funds.
Placerville is one of hundreds affected by a growing backlog at FEMA that states and local officials say has slowed disaster payments under the current administration, delaying mitigation projects and infrastructure repairs. Internal FEMA documents obtained by NPR indicate the agency owed communities nearly $10 billion at one point; other internal data put the public assistance backlog above $14 billion before FEMA released more than $5 billion in late February. Much of the money would reimburse local governments for rebuilding roads, bridges, water systems and other critical infrastructure after major disasters.
Local emergency managers say the pause is straining budgets and threatening projects that took years to design. ‘We’re just at a standstill and we’re all very, very frustrated,’ said Pam Bates, project manager for the Shasta County Fire Safe Council, which is waiting on FEMA approval for a project to make roughly 500 homes more resilient. Plumas County is awaiting $2.5 million to clear hazardous vegetation, and Shasta’s FEMA grant could expire in August without an extension.
Officials and state leaders point to a cascade of policy changes, staffing cuts and extra reviews that began last year. In June, then‑Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem required DHS review of all grants over $100,000 for potential ‘waste, fraud, and abuse,’ a step Senate Democrats later said significantly slowed aid. Noem was dismissed in March, and her successor, Markwayne Mullin, revoked the policy earlier this month, but most withheld funding has not yet been disbursed.
FEMA did not comment to NPR on the slowdown or the totals owed. The agency has also lost thousands of employees since the administration took office, and recent government shutdowns further reduced capacity. The administration canceled the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program, citing concerns about climate‑focused projects; a judge ordered the program reinstated, but FEMA has not said when funds canceled from the program might be restored. The president has suggested shrinking or eliminating FEMA and has appointed a FEMA Review Council that could recommend additional staffing cuts.
On the ground, homeowners who have prepared defensible space are still waiting for key retrofits. Adele Montgomery of Placerville has cleared brush and made other readiness changes, but work such as replacing an aging wooden deck and installing fire‑resistant flashing depends on the county program moving forward. ‘Real resilience really is at the community level,’ said Tanya Harlow, the county’s wildfire resilience officer. When most homes participate in mitigation programs, neighborhoods are less likely to burn.
Researchers and policy experts warn that investing in mitigation before disasters strikes saves money over the long term by preventing damage and reducing costly rebuilds. Andrew Rumbach of the Urban Institute said delayed federal funding forces state and local governments into emergency financial steps that can crowd out other priorities. At a congressional hearing, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said communities were ‘hurting’ from delayed recovery funds and questioned the legality of some administration policies.
FEMA data show disbursals slowed beginning last June. Because many grants require communities to pay project costs up front and wait for reimbursement, delayed payments create cash‑flow problems and can derail preparedness and reconstruction efforts. Local officials say the interruptions also undermine outreach and readiness work: ‘We’re educating our communities on the importance of this, but then there’s no resources for them,’ Harlow said.
With climate change driving more intense storms, wildfires and heavy rainfall, experts warn that stopping or delaying federal investment in mitigation will leave communities repeatedly vulnerable and increase long‑term costs. If you have information about recent changes at FEMA, the reporter welcomes encrypted tips on Signal at sommer.55.