The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has quickly depleted about $9 billion of its recently allocated funds, leaving the Disaster Relief Fund with only $11 billion, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell revealed in a press briefing. This swift expenditure is a result of the agency's response to multiple ongoing disasters, including the imminent threat of Hurricane Milton approaching Florida.
Congress had recently granted FEMA access to approximately $20 billion in funding to address the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Criswell disclosed that a significant portion of this allocation, around $9 billion, has already been utilized since FEMA transitioned from immediate needs funding on October 1.
