The Trump administration so far has refused to allocate federal disaster aid in a timely manner. Check out our interactive map for more details on the White House’s careless approach to major disaster declarations.
This is one part of our effort to track Trump’s disaster policy. It is based on our compilation and analysis of publicly available information. We have done our best to be comprehensive and accurate. Please contact [email protected] if you have suggestions about how to improve this resource. Last updated on July 1.
When extreme weather strikes, and a state, territory, or tribal nation requires federal resources to respond adequately, a governor or tribal chief executive will ask the president to declare an emergency. Once local jurisdictions have completed initial damage assessments, a state, territorial, or tribal government may ask the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct a joint preliminary damage assessment (PDA) to see if damages meet FEMA’s threshold for a major disaster declaration. Citing information collected in the PDA, a governor or tribal chief executive may ask the president to declare a major disaster. Following a particularly catastrophic event, officials may request, and could receive, an expedited disaster declaration before a PDA is finalized.
In 2025, FEMA’s disaster declaration threshold is a statewide per capita impact of $1.89 (i.e., that dollar amount multiplied by the state’s population). If monetary damages do not exceed that multiple, the federal government can consider other factors before making a decision. FEMA submits a recommendation to the White House about whether to approve a major disaster declaration request, but the president is free to disregard the agency’s advice.
If the president does declare a major disaster, it unlocks sorely needed federal resources, including funding to reimburse households (Individual Assistance), rebuild infrastructure (Public Assistance), and invest in preventive action (Hazard Mitigation).
As of July 1, President Donald Trump has issued 19 major disaster declarations (though he has denied certain types of aid and/or excluded jurisdictions in most of his approvals), rejected at least six requests, and left at least six weather-related requests and one appeal pending.
These decisions are reflected in the interactive map and spreadsheet below.
Highlights
- Prior to a flurry of activity in late May, Trump was sitting on several languishing requests submitted in the wake of extreme weather events that occurred in March and April.
- In many cases, Trump has taken more than six weeks to approve major disaster declaration requests.
- Following severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred in early April, the residents of Tennessee were forced to wait 63 days from the date of Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) April 17 request until Trump’s June 19 approval.
- Following wildfires and straight-line winds that occurred in mid-March, the residents of Oklahoma were forced to wait 61 days from the date of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) March 21 request until Trump’s May 21 approval.
- Following severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred in mid-March, the residents of Mississippi were forced to wait 50 days from the date of Gov. Tate Reeves’ (R) April 1 request until Trump’s May 21 approval.
- Following severe storms, tornadoes, and wildfires that occurred in mid-March, the residents of Missouri were forced to wait 49 days from the date of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s (R) April 2 request until Trump’s May 21 approval.
- Following severe storms and tornadoes that occurred in mid-March, the residents of Arkansas were forced to wait 48 days from the date of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ (R) March 21 request until Trump’s May 8 approval.
- Originally, Trump denied the request on April 11, prompting an appeal from Sanders. When she submitted the appeal on April 18, Arkansas was reeling in the aftermath of another round of storms, tornadoes, and floods.
- Following severe winter storms and flooding that occurred in mid-February, the residents of Virginia were forced to wait 47 days from the date of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) February 16 request until Trump’s April 4 approval.
- Even when Trump approves a request, he rarely does so in full. Trump routinely denies certain types of aid (particularly hazard mitigation grants) and/or excludes certain counties.
- Of Trump’s 19 approvals, 17 of them have been partial.
- Certain counties have been excluded from Individual Assistance or Public Assistance in eight cases (Kentucky 2/24, West Virginia 2/26, Arkansas 5/21, Mississippi 5/21, Missouri 5/21, Kentucky 5/23, Missouri 6/9, and Tennessee 6/19).
- Individual Assistance appears to have been denied twice (Virginia 4/4 and Missouri 5/21).
- Public Assistance appears to have been denied twice (Arkansas 5/8 and Kentucky 5/23).
- Hazard Mitigation grants have been denied seven times (Arkansas 5/16, Virginia 5/23, Iowa 6/2, Mississippi 6/2, Missouri 6/2 (x2), and Oklahoma 6/2).
- As of June 10, six Hazard Mitigation grant requests remained under review for Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky (x2), Nebraska, and Texas.
As with so many other things, the devil is in the details.
Interactive Map
The above photo, a work of the federal government, is in the public domain.