Burnt Grass Valley, California, pending FEMA disaster relief funding

For decades, FEMA’s dominant strategy has been to come in after disasters to coordinate cleanup and recovery. This is why the agency was created 40 years ago, but as climate disasters become more frequent and more devastating, FEMA is refocusing on a policy known as mitigation, involves trying to intervene before disaster strikes. In places of flooding, that means raising buildings. In places where there is a risk of hurricanes, that means retrofitting buildings to withstand strong winds. And in bushfire-prone areas, that means clearing the space around the house. Biden is counting on these programs to stem the rising costs of federal disasters, estimated at $99 billion last year. “Evidence shows that every dollar we invest in resilience saves $6 when the next fire doesn’t spread or the power station weathers a hurricane,” Biden said in September.