LOCALIZE IT: Presidents are taking longer to approve aid for major natural disasters
By M.K. WILDEMAN and DAVID A. LIEB
Associated Press
EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:
An Associated Press analysis found that it’s taking more than a month, on average, for President Donald Trump to approve major disaster declarations after receiving requests. That’s up from an average of less than two weeks during the 1990s and early 2000s.
When a disaster strikes, governors or tribal leaders can send requests for aid to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and must provide evidence they are “ unable to effectively respond and recover without federal assistance.” Ultimately, the president decides whether or not to grant that aid.
The amount of time it’s taking to issue that decision has increased in recent decades, the AP analysis found — especially under Trump. So far this year, 62% of the disaster requests Trump has approved have taken 30 days or more — more than any other president dating back to George H.W. Bush, whose presidency marks the beginning of AP’s analysis.
The delays mean individuals must wait to receive federal aid for daily living expenses, temporary lodging and home repairs. Delays in disaster declarations also can hamper recovery efforts by local officials uncertain whether they will receive federal reimbursement for cleaning up debris and rebuilding infrastructure.
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READ AP’S COVERAGE
AP analysis: Presidents are taking longer to approve disaster aid. For some, the wait is agonizing
Takeaways from an AP analysis about longer delays in approving US disaster aid
Digital Ready Video: Presidents are taking longer to declare major natural disasters. For some, the wait is agonizing
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EXPLORING THE DATA: STATES THAT REFLECT THE TREND
The national trend of longer waits for major disaster declarations is reflected in numerous states. That includes the following 17 states, which have had at least 30 natural disasters since 1996 and a notable upward trend in wait times. Explore data for this group of states here.
— Alabama
— Alaska
— Arkansas
— Iowa
— Kansas
— Kentucky
— Mississippi
— Missouri
— Nebraska
— North Carolina
— North Dakota
— Oklahoma
— Tennessee
— Texas
— Vermont
— Washington
— West Virginia
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HOW TO USE AP’S DATA:
The AP analysis is based on three decades of data only on major disasters, which provide the broadest form of assistance under the Stafford Act. While assistance can be given for human-caused disasters, such as explosions or terrorist attacks, the AP narrowed its analysis to natural disasters only. The COVID-19 pandemic was also excluded.
The tabs in the AP’s spreadsheet include summarized data by decade, by presidential term, and for disasters declared so far in 2025.
The first tab in the AP’s data provides a “summary by decade” that can be used to compare Trump’s declarations so far this year to averages over past years. These fields allow you to say, for example:
— “In Mississippi, disasters took on average 20 days to declare in the last decade, roughly triple the amount of time it took in the late 1990s and early 2000s.”
— — —
The second tab in the AP’s data contains the average time taken to declare disasters by which president was in office at the time. These fields allow you to say, for example:
— In Alabama, it took 21 days to declare disasters during Trump’s first term in office, more than any other president since at least George H.W. Bush.
— President Donald Trump has taken more than a month to approve disaster aid requested for Kansas during both his first term and his second, more than double the amount of time George W. Bush took during his second term in office.
— — —
Finally, the third tab of the AP’s data lists all disasters Trump has declared so far in 2025. It notes the counties where these disasters were declared, as well as the date the incident began and the type of disaster. These fields allow you to say, for example:
— It took Trump’s office 63 days to approve disaster aid for a string of tornadoes that affected 30 of Tennessee’s 95 counties. That’s more than four times the average time to declare disasters in Tennessee under Joe Biden’s presidency.
— Donald Trump has approved five disasters in Missouri that reached his desk since Inauguration Day. Two took a month or more to approve.
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CONSIDER THESE REPORTING THREADS
— Has your community experienced a natural disaster this year? If so, did your governor seek a presidential disaster declaration, and was it granted? Talk to local elected officials, emergency managers and disaster response coordinators to get their opinions about the process and how long it took.
— If your community has been affected by a natural disaster, talk to the people most directly affected — those whose homes and property were damaged. How did they make ends meet immediately after the disaster and in the weeks that followed? Did they get help from family, friends or charitable groups? Have they received individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — and did it come in a timely manner?
— Talk to experienced disaster managers in your state or region. This could include first responders, volunteer coordinators from nonprofit groups or college professors who teach emergency management courses. What have they observed about the process of applying for federal assistance? Do they have suggestions about how it could be improved?
— Has your state, county or city government taken steps to prepare for natural disasters? For example, have governments established special reserve funds, promoted buyouts in flood-prone areas or applied for pre-disaster mitigation grants? Do they have the resources to pay for disaster recovery costs without receiving federal reimbursement?
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READ ADDITIONAL AP COVERAGE
Trump proposed getting rid of FEMA, but his review council seems focused on reforming the agency
Some FEMA staff call out Trump cuts in public letter of dissent
Federal judge rules Trump administration cannot reallocate billions meant for disaster mitigation
How Americans think the government should respond to natural disasters, according to recent polls
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Localize It is a resource produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to the Local News Success team at localizeit@ap.org.
