In recognition of FEMA’s unprecedented response to the COVID-19 pandemic and following the Biden-Harris Administration’s determination regarding the end of the Public Health Emergency and National Emergency declarations, the agency announced today that all COVID-19 incident periods will close on May 11.
FEMA will publish a Federal Register Notice providing a 90-day advance notice to government partners and stakeholders that eligibility of work and reimbursable costs will end on May 11.
“Since COVID-19 entered our lives three years ago, FEMA has stood strong on the front lines alongside our partners to help people and communities nationwide respond to this virus. Our direct support allowed health systems to remain staffed and equipped to deliver care, food remained on the tables of anyone who needed it, and all levels of government had the financial assistance to support their communities by providing billions of dollars in emergency funding,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “We will never forget our loved ones who were lost or the lives that were upended during this difficult chapter in our nation’s history. The lessons we learned as an agency, as a government, and as a nation have made us stronger and more prepared for the next emergency.”
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA has provided more than $104 billion in assistance to state, local, tribal and territorial governments, as well as non-profits and survivors. Of those funds, almost $60 billion in funding went to a number of state, local, tribal and territorial governments and eligible private non-profits for more than 23,000 emergency projects. Another $2.9 billion was awarded in funeral assistance for more than 400,000 individuals and families, $37 billion in lost wages assistance and $386 million in crisis counseling services.
FEMA also supported an unprecedented vaccination effort, opening pilot community vaccination clinics to help advance equity and ensure that the most vulnerable communities were protected, resulting in 58% of the people served being people of color. Additionally, to ensure that the most vulnerable communities were protected, FEMA brought in language specialists and disability and civil rights advisors, and it worked with each community to identify its specific needs and to help it overcome barriers.
The COVID-19 disaster declarations are the longest in FEMA’s history.
FEMA will arrange programmatic briefing and share webinars as well as make experts available for all stakeholders impacted by the closure. More information will be available in the coming weeks.