The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has told state emergency officials they must prepare to handle most natural disasters on their own, without waiting for federal help, in remarks at a private conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, on October 20 that were obtained by Politico.

FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton said every state must build up its financial reserves and emergency capabilities so recovery can start immediately, and he warned the shift could begin within the next six months. An internal FEMA memo dated October 15 had already outlined plans to strengthen state and local capacity while shrinking the agency's central footprint in Washington.

Hamilton argued that states which skip the federal aid process could start cleanup and repairs much faster, instead of waiting weeks or months for a formal disaster declaration. Federal dollars, he said, should be building greater capability, not creating greater dependency.

The plan, as reported, would also set up a national mutual aid network in which states help each other after severe storms, floods and wildfires, rather than Washington running the response. The administration has not publicly announced the changes and has continued approving disaster aid for recent events.

Emergency managers and a FEMA report itself offer a caution. A FEMA report released last week found state disaster agencies are typically understaffed and underfunded and depend heavily on federal funding, and longtime emergency official Eric Holdeman wrote that many states have tiny offices and slim rainy-day funds and could not replace federal disaster money without raising taxes. For Punjabi and other immigrant families in flood, storm and wildfire zones from California to Texas and Florida, the change would mean the speed and scale of help after a disaster could depend far more on which state they live in.