FEMA Now Requires Disaster Victims to Have an Email Address
1 min read
Summary
From August this year, US citizens applying for federal disaster aid will be required to have an email address, according to a new directive from The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
This is a significant barrier for those without ready access to the internet, particularly those in lower income groups and minorities; 17% of households in Missouri, and 20% of Tennessee households do not use the internet at all, according to data from November 2023.
Furthermore, a sudden implementation of the new policy caught FEMA staff on the ground by surprise, and they have been unable to register applicants without email addresses.
The change is related to a wider shift towards digitisation in government, and a push to move disaster relief efforts from the federal government to the state.
