Fema

FEMA produces maps showing which areas are at risk from flooding, so that homeowners, builders and local officials can make informed decisions about where and how to build houses.

After a disaster, the two agencies chiefly responsible for helping victims are FEMA, which focuses on emergency shelter and limited home repairs, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds long-term rebuilding.

Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, was even blunter during a March cabinet meeting, when she said point-blank: “We are going to eliminate FEMA.”

The new rule adds another layer of bureaucracy and uncertainty for states already struggling to secure previously awarded federal funding as they face a series of grant program pauses, delays and rule changes at FEMA, several current and former FEMA officials told CNN.