What Placerville Faces Without Its $25 Million Grant
Adele Montgomery's wooden deck is riddled with dry rot, a matchbox waiting for ignition. El Dorado County had lined up $25 million in federal money to replace that deck and fire-harden 500 homes like hers, but FEMA has not answered the county's environmental review since last February. The Weber Creek Project was supposed to start before this year's fire season.
How the Backlog Grew to $10 Billion
Disbursements began stalling in June when then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered every grant over $100,000 to be checked for "waste, fraud, and abuse." Senate Democrats attributed the slowdown to Noem's review mandate. Noem was replaced in March; new DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin revoked the policy earlier this month, yet most funds remain locked.
California Counties Waiting on Specific Checks
Plumas County is stuck waiting for $2.5 million to clear flammable brush around homes. The Shasta County Fire Safe Council's grant to retrofit 500 houses expires in August; project manager Pam Bates says FEMA has not even granted an extension. Harlow says the county had hoped to begin the project last year to prepare for the coming wildfire season.
States Forced to Cut Other Programs to Cover Bills
States front the money for disaster repairs and wait for FEMA to pay them back. Urban Institute analyst Andrew Rumbach says some states are "taking emergency measures to pay those bills, which means potentially cutting other programs." North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis told Noem at a March hearing, "I have reason to believe that you're violating the law either knowingly or unknowingly."
Why the Agency Keeps Shrinking
FEMA has lost thousands of employees since Trump took office and weathered recent government shutdowns. Trump appointed a 12-person FEMA Review Council to suggest reforms. Leaked drafts of previous versions show the panel may recommend shrinking the agency staff further. Trump publicly favors shrinking or eliminating the agency and shifting disaster costs to states.
What Stays Frozen While Towns Wait
The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and the Public Assistance Program together hold up most of the $10 billion. The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program was canceled by the administration for focusing on "climate change," then reinstated by a court; FEMA has not said when the money will flow again.
One Retiree's Plan if the Deck Stays
Montgomery, 78, lives on a fixed income and cannot afford the $8,000 deck replacement herself. "I'm so ready," she said, pointing to the gaps between boards. "The deck is really a problem in my mind." Without FEMA's share, the county cannot hire contractors and her name stays on an uncapped waiting list while the hills around Placerville dry out.
