Biden Doubles Funding Available For Hurricane Preparedness

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — President Joe Biden is doubling U.S. emergency spending to help communities prepare for hurricanes and other extreme weather this year.

“We all know that the storms are coming, and we’re going to be prepared,” Biden said during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Washington headquarters. “We’re going to spare no expense, no effort, to keep Americans safe and respond to crises when they arise,” he added.

FEMA will make $1 billion available to the states and territories through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC program. The BRIC program aims to help states, local communities, tribes, and territories develop projects to prepare for natural disasters, like hurricanes, storms, and wildfires.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last week that the 2021 hurricane season will likely have 13 to 20 storms. They predict that at least six storms will become hurricanes and three to five will be categorized as major hurricanes with winds of more than 110 mph. While that prediction sounds like a lot, forecasters expect 2021 to be quieter than 2020, which set records for the number of storms.

President Biden also announced that NASA is developing a new mission to forecast natural disasters and monitor the impacts of climate change.