Editors, Vineyard Gazette;

At a cabinet meeting on Monday, March 24, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that she was “going to eliminate FEMA.”

Although it is not clear whether she can actually do that, because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was established by Congress, the intent is clear.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides funding and services related to disasters that happen in the United States. In FY25, it has a gross budget of $33 billion and employs 17,328 full-time equivalents (FTEs).  

Well before a disaster, FEMA has programs that identify potential risks in order to reduce the injuries, property loss and recovery time that would occur due to a damaging event.  

Immediately before, during and after a disaster, FEMA provides emergency response services by deploying staff and equipment at or near a disaster area, assisting with clean-up and recovery work, and providing financial assistance along with the Small Business Administration to affected homeowners, businesses and communities.

For the Vineyard, there is a strong likelihood that we will need to use these FEMA services if a hurricane or wildfire strikes. The last substantial hurricane to hit the Island was Bob in 1991, and this disaster caused substantial damage. It’s anyone’s guess “when”, and not “if”, the next one will happen. With warmer weather and extended droughts due to climate change, Massachusetts, like the rest of the United States, is experiencing more wildfires.

If FEMA is abolished, the agency that could help fill the void is the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). However, MEMA’s FY25 budget of $7 million will not make up for the lost FEMA resources, though possibly some of the FEMA appropriation could be transferred directly to the states.

It is probable that a disaster will affect the Vineyard, and now we have no backstop when this happens.

So, what can we do at the local level? We must prepare — both individually and Island-wide — with increased emergency preparedness. The Vineyard should have a full-time Emergency Preparedness Manager to anticipate possible disasters and coordinate activities throughout the Island.  

Steps can be taken to protect the Island against the potential damage caused by hurricanes and wildfires. For hurricanes, hardening infrastructure and strengthening structures is helpful. For wildfires, providing a buffer zone around homes that inhibits fire spread is effective.

We should start the conversation of how we need to adjust to this new reality without FEMA.

Jon Harris
Oak Bluffs

The writer is a member of the Climate Action Task Force.