Disaster aid has become a political lottery – libraries, schools and places of worship are stepping into the breach
Libraries, synagogues, parks and local businesses are becoming the real front line of recovery.
In early March 2026, four tornadoes struck southwest Michigan, resulting in four deaths and marking the state's deadliest natural disasters in decades. Governor Gretchen Whitmer sought Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance to cover uninsured and underinsured losses, but FEMA denied her request twice. The issue of disaster aid becoming a political lottery is highlighted, as the Trump administration denied 26% of major disaster declarations in 2025, a significant increase from the previous year and much higher than the 15% denial rate over the past two decades.
The distribution of aid has not been equal, with all-Republican states receiving much higher approval rates than all-Democratic states. Colorado, an all-Democratic state, received two consecutive denials for disaster appeals in 2025, their first such rejections in decades. Conversely, Florida, an all-Republican state, received an emergency declaration without specifying which disaster, adding that much of the aid would go to the Panhandle, a favorite of Trump.
Nationally, only 42% of disaster requests from states Trump lost in 2024 were approved, while 84% of requests from states he won were granted. Local communities are now bearing a greater burden of disaster preparation, response, and recovery costs, with FEMA owing local governments nearly $10 billion in reimbursements for recovery work already paid for.
When denied aid, towns may be left covering costs as high as 15% of their annual budget. In Union City, Michigan, volunteers quickly set up a shelter in a local high school and opened a relief fund, demonstrating the crucial role of local organizations in disaster response. The research shows that places like schools, faith-based organizations, and libraries can strengthen community ties and facilitate better preparedness and recovery.
Libraries, in particular, have stepped up as critical centers during extreme weather events, serving as cooling or warming centers for 44.7% of U.S. public libraries in 2025, a 8.2% increase from 2022. However, these institutions could do more to secure federal relocation funding and have emergency preparedness plans. The trend indicates that while federal aid is still important, local communities must increasingly rely on their own resources, ties, and spaces to effectively prepare for and recover from disasters.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
