The disaster management complex: Law’s adaptations in times of climate disaster

This Article analyzes how FEMA might integrate climate change into its disaster resilience efforts under existing authority, while exploring a more effective formal legislative mandate to enable FEMA to be a viable source of climate resilience leadership. We propose that FEMA’s mission would be best served by legislation explicitly requiring the agency to integrate climate change responsibilities in all phases of disaster management. In particular, we recommend legislation that (a) clarifies the role of FEMA in relation to slow-onset disasters, such as sea level rise; (b) clarifies the role of FEMA in relation to compounding disasters, disasters that occur while recovery from a previous disaster is still underway; and (c) requires relevant federal, state, and local agencies to integrate climate projections and modelling into hazard and risk assessments.