FEMA to overhaul its disaster aid system after decades of criticism

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The agency announced on Friday that it will fundamentally overhaul the way it delivers aid to survivors, launching new programs to provide quick cash payments to those in need and eliminating much of the bureaucracy that hampers aid access. 

“This is really a transformational, deeply impactful, meaningful, and historic change in our provision of individual assistance to survivors of natural disasters,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. “For too long, in the face of too many natural disasters and extreme weather events, survivors have had to overcome many barriers to access to federal assistance.”

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EU's disaster response fund at limit as climate crises mount The European Commission warned on Tuesday that the EU urgently needs more funding to respond to climate change-fuelled crises after its emergency aid reserve was exhausted in both 2021 and 2022 and natural disasters have increased this year. Kate Abnett Reuters

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Pandemic preparedness strategies must go beyond vaccines Monoclonal antibodies can fill a critical gap to help stop the next infectious disease outbreak from becoming the next pandemic. Science Translational Medicine

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Once a pathogen of pandemic potential has emerged, an effective response that relies on medical countermeasures (e.g., prophylactic, therapeutic, and diagnostic technologies) must be deployed at scale immediately. Thus, medical countermeasures need to be readily available for use at the first signals that a pathogen of concern has surfaced.

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