Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council; Notice of Meeting

The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management provides feedback on the FEMA Review Council Final Report, advocating for reforms that recognize underinsurance and insurance delays as factors for federal assistance. The County supports expanding eligibility for underinsured survivors and opposes increasing the federal cost share for public assistance or raising the per capita disaster declaration threshold.

Oregonians for Floodplain Protection, a coalition of local governments and stakeholders, supports the FEMA Review Council's recommendations to rescind Biological Opinions related to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and to exempt the NFIP from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). They argue that current ESA requirements impose unnecessary administrative burdens, undermine local land-use authority, and threaten public safety and access to flood insurance.

The commenter proposes that FEMA should implement two policy enhancements: requiring independent damage verification for large Public Assistance projects and establishing a "Safe Harbor Provision" for insurance recovery efforts. They argue these changes will ensure that private insurance carriers fulfill their obligations before federal taxpayers are forced to cover costs, thereby protecting federal disaster assistance funds.

The commenter proposes a policy enhancement to FEMA to require independent damage verification for large public assistance claims and to establish a "Safe Harbor Provision" for insurance recovery efforts. They argue these changes will ensure FEMA remains the payer of last resort, prevent taxpayers from subsidizing insurance underpayments, and improve the stewardship of federal disaster funds.