If there is one thing all Mississippians should be in agreement about, it’s the need to set aside appropriate funds to respond to catastrophic natural disasters. From floods along the Mississippi Delta to hurricanes on the Mississippi Coast and tornadoes in every corner of our state, Mississippians know better than most just how essential these funds are to saving lives and helping residents and communities recover.
Last year, The Hill, a D.C.-based online news outlet, put together a list of the most disaster-prone states. The list draws on a 2022 WalletHub ranking of states by total and per-capita financial impact from natural disasters; a 2023 analysis of state-by-state disaster risks by Vuković on the Primal Survivor site; and a 2022 report on disaster-prone states from MoneyWise, the personal finance site. It also considered the Nature Climate Change study on overvalued properties and the EPA climate resilience report. Mississippi ranked as the second most disaster-prone state in that aggregation.
Hurricanes, floods and tornadoes routinely wreak havoc on Mississippi. In fact, WalletHub’s analysis ranked Mississippi as the most disaster-prone state in the nation.
Some of these Mississippi disasters are considered historic, including the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, which still stands as the most destructive river flood in U.S. history, two of the most powerful hurricanes in U.S. history (Camille, 1969 and Katrina, 2005) and three of the 10 deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history (Purvis, 1908, 143 deaths; Tupelo, 1936, 215 deaths; and Natchez, 1840, 317 deaths.
There have been 50 federal disaster declarations in the state since 2000, including two more hurricanes (Harvey in 2017 and Ida in 2021) and numerous tornadoes. The effects of the tornado that tore through Rolling Fork in 2023 that killed 17 people and injured 165 are still visible today.
We take justifiable pride in our determination to recover and rebuild, but we also know that recovery is impossible without a significant infusion of federal dollars.
So, when Hurricane Helene tore through Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, we understood better than most what an awesome task lies ahead and how crucial a role the Federal Emergency Management Agency plays in those efforts. Early damage estimates range from $15 billion to $100 billion.
At the time Helene arrived, FEMA had already spent the funds Congress had provided for the year. The funds that are being used now will come from next year’s appropriations. For years now, Republicans in Congress have opposed increasing the FEMA budget in the name of cutting the deficit.
Among them are our two Mississippi Senators.
In 2021, both Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde Smith voted against the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (H.R. 5305), a bill that would have increased funding for the agency.
To say they should know better doesn’t cut it. Their no votes on the bill was the worst sort of legislative malpractice, although by now we should not be surprised.
Let’s face it: The only kind of funding Wicker favors involves building battleships and tanks. If FEMA was asking for ordinance, Wicker would gladly sign on.
As for Hyde Smith, well, who knows what (or if) she was thinking. She spends most of her time in Washington huddled in a corner gumming a rawhide bone. If Senate Republicans had an organ grinder, she would be his monkey.
We understand that cutting spending and reducing the deficit are legitimate goals. But cutting programs where funding is already insufficient is not being fiscally sound. It’s unwise and counter-productive.
Unfortunately, a majority of Republicans in Washington refuse to accept the undeniable fact of climate change and that these kinds of weather disasters are growing more common, more costly and more deadly.
Wicker, by the way, was the only Senator – Republican or Democrat – who voted no on a non-binding resolution that climate change exists. He probably ain’t too sure about this whole the-earth-revolves-around-the-sun business, either.
For too long, the Republican answer to the question, “What do we do about climate change?” has been “Let’s ignore it.”
FEMA funding should be increased, and substantially.
Last week, John Kennedy, the cartoonish Republican Senator from Louisiana, predictably downplayed the realities we face and the challenge they represent.
“We’ll talk about it in December, particularly if we keep having natural disasters,” he said.
If, Senator? There is no “if’ about it. The only questions are where, how much damage it will create and, thanks to Republicans, how far short of what is needed will be available.
So just don’t come squawling when it’s your ox that’s being gored, Senator.
And that goes double for Wicker and Hyde Smith.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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