The Federal Emergency Management Agency is quickly depleting its disaster relief fund, according to an NBC News report Thursday.
The response to Hurricane Harvey in Texas took $2.14 billion from the fund, which sits at $1.01 billion as of Tuesday, according to Bloomberg and confirmed by NBC News.
"At this point, FEMA's running on fumes," Rafael Lamaitre, a former FEMA spokesperson during the administration of President Barack Obama, said in the NBC report.
"FEMA is scheduled to run out of money by Friday, Sept. 8, just two days before Hurricane Irma is expected to hit Florida. Unfortunately, the current disaster relief package Congress is considering for Hurricane Harvey doesn't account for the additional costs FEMA will likely incur as a result of Hurricane Irma," Florida Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio said in a statement.
A $7.85 billion aid bill for Harvey victims passed in the House of Representatives, and the Senate is expected to take action on the bill, but that will not be enough to take on the potential damage that Irma could cause, legislators said in the NBC report.
Nelson is asking House and Senate leaders to include FEMA funding for Hurricane Irma in a Hurricane Harvey spending bill, according to Fox 29 in Florida.
Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., said he had been urging FEMA to get plans in place for potential Florida storms, but they have yet to be solidified. "They're still determining what should go where and the personnel. You can't wait until after the hurricane strikes," Deutch said in the NBC News report.
A program offered by FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program, is also at risk, being nearly $25 billion in debt, according to a report Monday.
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