section_path: Domestic policy/FEMA
section_name: FEMA
paragraph_text: FEMA
  
  In April, the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied an extension of benefits for areas in Georgia and North Carolina which had been hit by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
  
  Tornadoes hit parts the state of Mississippi in mid-March and a major disaster declaration by the federal government took more than two months, even at the request of Governor Tate Reeves (Republican) of Mississippi. FEMA’s new acting-administrator David Richardson suggested policy changes and said that there could be “more cost-sharing with states.”
  
  On May 23, the Trump administration approved disaster aid for areas within 8 states including Mississippi. The other 7 states with areas so designated are Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.