By Don C. Brunell

When President Biden warned that FEMA doesn’t have enough money to finish hurricane season, let alone the entire year, it was surprising. Suddenly, we realized that federal disaster relief funding may not be enough to provide future assistance during hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes.

The frequency of major hurricanes and massive wildfires is straining federal accounts, and replacement funds only add to our exploding national debt. This debt strains our ability to operate our national government.

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, which stretches from Northern California to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the question looms: Will there be federal funding when the “big one” strikes?

According to the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the “Big One” is a magnitude 9.0 earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone, a 700-mile-long coastal fault line, and there is a growing likelihood that it will occur within the next 50 years occurs.

Although the earthquake itself will cause catastrophic damage, there is great fear of a possible tsunami. Massive waves could inundate lowlands, valleys and coastal communities, as could tidal waves in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic states.

Scientists estimate that similar quakes occur here every 200 to 1,000 years, with the last one occurring more than 300 years ago. A shaker of this magnitude would easily place him in the “Top 10” of all time.

While Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding represents only a fraction of the total federal budget, Helene and Milton have already allocated $9 billion of their $20 billion disaster fund for the fiscal year that ends September 30, 2025. consumed.

CoreLogic, a real estate data company, estimates the total damage from Helene and Milton at $210 billion. The total losses do not include damage to the economy and tax revenue.

One future obstacle is our exploding national debt. It has skyrocketed over the past four years, rising from $27.75 trillion in 2020 to $35.69 trillion in September 2024. That’s the money we borrowed to pay our country’s bills, and if creditors demanded immediate payment, every American would owe $206,000.

That is an unimaginable sum. According to the Calculator Site: “$1 trillion in $100 bills is equivalent to a stack 631 miles high – two and a half times the height of the International Space Station, which is 248 miles above Earth.”

According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, interest costs are the federal government’s third-largest spending category so far in fiscal year 2024 — surpassing spending on all budget items except Social Security and Medicare.

The Congressional Budget Office predicts that interest costs will reach $12.9 trillion over the next decade if no action is taken. The annual interest payment alone would be $1.7 trillion in 2034. This is a dangerous trend.

There is a growing realization that we must help each other and not be dependent on the federal government. Responses to Helene and Milton were appropriately coordinated by states along with cities and counties.

Southeast governors, led by Ron DeSantis of Florida, were prepared and quickly marshalled resources from across the country to rescue victims, restore power and drinking water, and provide gasoline, food and essential supplies.

Their around-the-clock work with state and local government workers, the Red Cross and charities like Samaritan’s Purse and Mercy Chefs was augmented by FEMA and our military – saving lives.

Most gratifyingly, community-minded neighbors and volunteers spontaneously provided food and shelter, tractors, chainsaws, and rescue boats and trucks to assist the victims. Your continued selfless efforts continue to form the backbone of the response and define our America.

Hopefully when the “big one” hits us, it will be people helping people who make the difference and define the people of the North West.

— Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, author and columnist. He retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver, Washington. He can be contacted at [email protected].