SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — The official start of hurricane season is days away, and central Florida counties are set to lose millions of dollars that could have been used for the most vulnerable people.
One example is how the Office of Emergency Management in Seminole County requested funds to help people who depend on medical machines survive any storms.
But the federal Emergency Management Agency canceled the program the center requested the grant money from.
Now if the federal government doesn’t cover it, it will fall on the counties or state - and taxpayers - to cover the costs those grant dollars typically would.
Seminole County’s Office of Emergency Management director, Alan Harris, described those affected as “our most vulnerable populations.”
Seminole County asked FEMA for $300,000 to add a generator to a shelter for those with special needs and those who depend on medical machines that need electricity.
Marion County asked for $3.7 million while Sumter County asked for $3 million to improve electrical infrastructure to avoid outages during storms.
But now that money won’t be coming from FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. It was canceled in April, as Republicans focus on handling the nation’s deficit
“We’re going to do everything we can,” said U.S. Sen Rick Scott. “Now let’s realize where our federal government is right now, OK? We are running two trillion-dollar deficits. How many of you want your interest rates to come down? We all do. How many of you want inflation to come down? It will not happen if we don’t balance the budget.”
U.S. Rep. Cory Mills says he will look for other ways to fund Seminole County’s generator.
These cuts are happening as FEMA’s acting chief says h wants to place responsibility of hurricane recovery on states and local governments, including financial responsibility.
“It’s about getting responsiveness. It is about getting funding there quicker,” Mills said.
Sumter County’s EMA director, David Casto, said the BRIC program could not be the only cuts. There are other grants that fund equipment and supplies that are still uncertain.
The state and some local governments are reportedly prepared to dip into their reserves as FEMA tightens its belt even more this hurricane season.
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