Commissioner Williams’ FEMA resolution adopted by National Association of Counties for third consecutive year
[July 17, 2024] TAMPA, FL – A resolution introduced by Brunswick County Commissioner Frank Williams was approved at the National Association of Counties (NaCo) annual conference in Hillsborough County, Florida on Monday, July 15, 2024. The resolution, which was adopted for the third consecutive year, keeps America’s Counties on record as advocating for a more streamlined FEMA individual assistance process. FEMA individual assistance benefits disaster survivors directly to assist those who have uninsured or under-insured necessary expenses and serious needs.
“In the days and weeks following Hurricane Florence, I heard numerous residents share their frustration with the complexity of applying for FEMA individual assistance,” said Williams. “When people have been directly affected by a disaster, the individual application process has unnecessarily added more complications to their already upended lives. We are working to change that.”
At the 2022 NaCo annual conference, and while Commissioner Williams was President of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), he first introduced and passed a resolution putting Counties on record as advocating for a more streamlined FEMA individual assistance process. Because NaCo resolutions must be re-adopted each year, he again presented the resolution to the NaCo Justice & Public Safety committee in both 2023 and on Friday, July 12, 2024. The committee unanimously approved the resolution, which was subsequently unanimously approved by the NaCo board of directors on Sunday, July 14 and at the full NaCo annual business session on Monday, July 15.
The issue description accompanying the resolution reads as follows: Once federal assistance is available, citizens often find themselves having to complete many similar applications collecting the same information that is then sent to various agencies or departments within the same agency. This process is arduous, redundant, and often times confusing. County commissioners are often asked for help supporting a streamlined application for individual assistance so that one universal application can be applied to the various federal programs that are available in the aftermath of a disaster.
The resolution reads as follows: The National Association of Counties (NACo) supports efforts to create a streamlined or universal federal application for individual assistance for federal aid programs that are available in the aftermath of an emergency, which will help accelerate community recovery.
The issue has received attention on Capitol Hill. Senate Bill 1528, entitled the “Disaster Assistance Simplification Act,” passed the U.S. Senate on Friday, July 28, 2023. The bill, which was introduced by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and whose co-sponsors included Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), would create a universal disaster application.
Williams has personally lobbied members of North Carolina’s federal delegation to simplify the FEMA individual assistance process.
“During several recent National Association of Counties’ legislative conferences, I’ve personally spoken to our Senators and to members of our U.S. House delegation about the importance of simplifying this unnecessarily bureaucratic process,” said Williams. “I’m grateful that Senator Tillis co-sponsored the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act in 2023. While that bill did not pass the House, FEMA has begun taking steps to simplify the individual application process. This is a great start, and I’m grateful to see steps being taken, but we still have a long way to go. I’m grateful that NaCo once again adopted this important resolution.”
Williams served as President of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) from August 2021 until August 2022. His NCACC Presidential Initiative, 100 Counties Prepared, was borne out of his experience serving as Chair of the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners during Hurricanes Florence, Dorian, and Isaias, through which he observed a lack of emergency preparedness training suitable for elected officials. He appointed a task force, which focused on filling that void by creating an emergency preparedness training tailor-made for elected officials. Sixty-one county officials from across North Carolina completed the inaugural 100 Counties Prepared Emergency Preparedness Training for County Commissioners, which was held in conjunction with the 115th Annual NCACC Conference in Cabarrus County on August 11, 2022. Two additional trainings have been held, and a fourth is planned for later in 2024. Click here for more information.