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President Joe Biden is doubling the amount of FEMA’s budget, investing $1 billion to help states prepare for extreme weather in advance of the 2021 hurricane season and a NASA initiative to capture better climate data.
The Biden administration announced it is planning to invest $1 billion to help states prepare for extreme weather. The announcement comes in advance of the 2021 hurricane season, in which experts have already forecast another year of above-average storm activity, which would make the sixth hyper-active season in a row.
The White House said it will focus on key areas of preparation for localities, including floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.
The $1 billion pledge by the Biden administration effectively doubles the amount of money the government (FEMA) had previously spent in assisting communities to brace for extreme weather through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, Axios reported.
President Biden also announced a new effort led by NASA to collect more sophisticated data on climate, the Washington Post reported.
“We can never be too prepared,” Biden said from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters. “We’re going to spare no expense, no effort, to keep Americans safe and respond to crises when they arise. And they certainly will.”
NASA’s Earth System Observatory will be utilized to forecast and monitor natural disasters.
After last year’s record-setting 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, and with the 2021 season expected to be above average, you can’t be over-prepared. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 until November 30. Anyone living and states that border the Gulf Coast or the Atlantic should be prepared for hurricanes and severe weather – even if you live quite far inland, as the tropical systems can stall over land and drop heavy rains for days, causing flooding.
Supplies are already short – don’t be unprepared. With supplies in stores already limited due to the pandemic and gas shortages, it becomes even more urgent that you prepare an emergency plan should a hurricane or severe weather cause power failures, impact transportation, or access to food and water.
Start right now with making a family emergency plan. This includes preparing your evacuation and communications strategy. You should make sure that every member of your family has a cell phone so that you can stay in contact should you get separated. Search for the best deals. You don’t necessarily need to buy a phone for every member of your family – you can get them free. You can find deals that will give you a new android phone free.
Make sure to prepare an emergency kit that has at least a 3 day supply of food and water, as well as a flashlight and backup battery chargers for your cell phone and more.
The best source of information you can research online can be found at the NHC/NOAA preparedness website. You can visit the hurricane preparedness page of the National Hurricane Center and get information on everything you need to know to be ready.
