FEMA administrator says disaster fund could run out soon

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Compounding natural disasters spurred on by extreme weather may lead to the FEMA disaster fund becoming completely depleted within weeks, administrator Deanne Criswell says.

Appearing on Face The Nation and CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Criswell said the disaster fund is projected to run dry in mid-September, but the situation is day-to-day.

"And as we get closer to that, I mean, this is a day by day monitoring of the situation, we will start to move some of our recovery projects and delay them until the next fiscal year," Criswell told Margaret Brennan of CBS.

When asked by CNN's Kasie Hunt what FEMA would do in the event of a government shutdown, Criswell said FEMA will continue to push projects into the next fiscal year so it can continue to respond to disasters immediately.

"We will take measures to ensure there is always going to be enough funding to continue to support immediate responses to these types of severe weather events," she said.

The projections come as Tropical Storm Hilary reaches Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and heads toward southern California where it may drop up to 4 inches of rain per hour, causing flash flooding.

There have been 15 weather-related or climate disaster events that caused more than $1 billion in damage this year prior to Aug. 8, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The combined disaster cost is more than $39 billion.

Last week the Biden administration requested $12 billion to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency as it undertakes recovery efforts related to multiple natural disasters. Criswell said the agency's response to crises will not be impacted despite the House and Senate being in recess until after Labor Day.