Changes to FEMA are yet another disaster Iowans shouldn’t have to face

Springtime is blooming across Iowa. Bright tulips whose bulbs have evaded hungry squinnies and squirrels are emerging. The warm breeze, brilliant colors, and gentle animal noises can make us feel calm. Springtime is the season of renewal and optimism.

But the reality is we are entering the danger zone, at least from a weather standpoint. When it comes to weather related disasters, Emergency Management expert DL Ayala says it is “Getting significantly worse. It doesn't matter where you live. Everyone seems to be having issues when it comes to weather events.”

Polk County Emergency Management Director AJ Mumm adds “the complexity of the disasters we're seeing has definitely increased. And I think that's related to just a more vulnerable population socially and financially.”

Despite the increased risk, federal rules are changing before local infrastructure is in place to deal with emergencies. At the same time, policies that would mitigate some of that risk down the road are being axed.

Even states politically aligned with the current administration are scrambling and bewildered by unexpected announcements that they would not be receiving emergency aid.

No one wants agencies to operate ineffectively or inefficiently — except for some who prioritize lining their pockets before helping others in need. And there is significant work that needs to be done within FEMA to make relief efforts more effective. Local bills such as HF 1012 are a step in the right direction, but much work needs to be done at the local and state level to be able to replicate the expertise, response, and resource management that FEMA has developed over decades of operation.

Service to the community runs in Mumm’s veins. “My parents were both very involved in the community. My dad was a mechanic at the local repair shop, but he was also the communities’ Volunteer Fire chief. My mom was on the school board and involved in community activities related to the school district.” He has a strong desire to help others. And with the increase of frequency and severity of disasters in Iowa and across the country, he will be spending his time doing just that.

One woman who lives near Four Mile Creek in Des Moines stands out in his mind. “It's really a miracle that she's still with us. She heard some noise down in her basement, and she went down to investigate. It ended up being her basement wall starting to give way. The foundation gave and she instantly had thousands of gallons of water in her basement. The amount of water flooded her basement so quickly, it caused a gust of wind to push her up the steps and she made it out alive.”

From Mindon to Cedar Rapids to Greenfield, there are more than a few recent examples from the 51 presidential declared disasters in the last 35 years. And not all who have been affected have been as fortunate to survive. Six Iowans lost their lives last April and May in natural disasters, and countless others were affected. Trauma from natural disasters is long term, especially for those who have lived through multiple events. Ayala describes this trauma “I think the biggest challenge is getting people back to some sort of normalcy with the amount of damage to homes and businesses. People are traumatized even if you do get them into a shelter location. Anytime a siren goes off or similar event could trigger them.”

Disaster response needs to be less reactive and more proactive if we want to avoid loss of life and property. “Money for mitigation is tied to a presidential disaster declaration,” Mumm explained. “We're awarded mitigation funding after we've already experienced a disaster. Cost analysis shows a positive return on investment in mitigation. Why aren't we doing that before the disaster? It just seems backward to me.”

Mumm describes a difficult part of his job as “managing expectations from the public. Getting a community back on its feet is a long, arduous, difficult, messy process. We're trying to do more recovery planning here in Iowa. We know that disasters will occur. They might be occurring more frequently and at a higher magnitude”

Mumm recommends being prepared and emphasized the importance of insurance. “We always say stay informed. That's usually the number one recommendation — having situational awareness, and knowing what hazards are in your community.”

Yet insurance is getting more costly — two factors causing this are climate change and weak regulatory oversight- and harder to obtain. This is compounded by increasing disasters due to climate change and foregone sustainable planning and building practices.

Additionally, it is hard to be prepared when English is not your first language and NWS decides to cut translation services. Not to mention the $103 million cut to disaster legal services that help ensure victims are made whole, especially those who are the most vulnerable. Mumm is aware of the difficult spot many Iowans are in, citing lack of savings and the downstream consequences of property loss. “If a car is damaged, then they can't get to work and then their job is in question. There are so many people in our community that are already on the edge of a crisis. And it doesn't take much of to push them over that edge.”

Mumm points out there are many promising practices that local leaders can implement “Micro mitigation, even simple things like having rain barrels to slow down rain on our own property, planting in areas that absorb more rainwater, and bridge replacement that allows water to flow through more efficiently.” City planners are also incorporating sustainable practices. “They are trying to balance growth while also trying to maintain some natural ways to reduce the speed of rain entering storm sewers. There's an increase in the last 20 years of using natural landscapes to slow that down.”

He also points Iowans to preparedness resources, such as the website his department maintains.

While individuals have no choice but to prepare for the worst, let’s hope our officials depart from the current slash-and-burn approach to making government more “efficient” and turn to more prudent ways of restructuring, giving more thought to preparation and resilience by prioritizing sustainable practices.

Chris Espersen is a Gazette editorial fellow. chris.espersen@thegazette.com