The United States has had a record-breaking year for extreme weather. Federal Emergency Management Administrator Brock Long told the Senate and House in October that more than 25 million people in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and elsewhere were affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. All the while, communities in the West are still picking up the pieces in the wake of destructive wildfires. With estimates of $290 billion in damages from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, a $94.4 billion appeal for disaster recovery assistance from Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, and a $7.4 billion request for aid from California officials following the deadliest wildfires in the state’s history, the need for supplemental disaster aid from the federal government could easily top $300 billion.
The above excerpt was originally published in The Hill.
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