Confusion over changes in Federal Emergency Management Agency policies has left many Kentucky communities uncertain about what aid is still available and whether they will be supported when the next disaster strikes.

Earlier this year, a federal judge in Massachusetts ordered FEMA to restart its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program. The program was slated to help communities pay for hazard mitigation and resilience projects.

Dana Kuhnline, program director for ReImagine Appalachia, said the funding is critical to be prepared for natural disasters.

“Essentially, this money goes towards raising dams, raising levees, updating sewage systems, really basic common sense infrastructure improvements that make communities less vulnerable when flooding happens,” Kuhnline outlined.

The Trump administration attempted to permanently cancel the grant program last year. Between January and June 2025, FEMA lost more than 2,000 employees.

Kuhnline pointed out the layoffs have resulted in a major loss of institutional knowledge. She stressed rural communities are especially vulnerable to disasters, and despite FEMA’s problems, Appalachian residents cannot recover on their own.

“I think a lot of us in this community have really been in fear of another incident like Hurricane Helene or the floods of 2022, because we just don't think that the administration is prepared to support people,” Kuhnline added.

A report showed between 2020 and 2025, FEMA awarded nearly $6 billion in grants to Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Without federal funding, one major disaster a year could cost Kentucky 15% of its reserve funds.

Source: Public News Service