ICYMI: Rep. Carter, Brantley County Residents Seek FEMA Assistance

As wildfires tear through South Georgia, residents are asking: Where is FEMA? 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As wildfires tear through South Georgia, Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter and Brantley County residents are asking why FEMA has yet to supply direct assistance to wildfire victims. The fire has burned 20,000 acres and is currently only 6% contained. FEMA typically sends on-the-ground support in large-scale fire emergencies through the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program, working with local crews to supply aid. 

The call for help comes as Trump has threatened to eliminate FEMA entirely, cut its workforce from 29,000 to roughly 23,000, canceled its primary pre-disaster mitigation grant program, and proposed eliminating all non-disaster FEMA grant programs in his FY2027 budget.

ACTION NEWS JAX: Where is FEMA?: Brantley Co. fire victims seek assistance

“Some residents in Brantley County have expressed concern about why FEMA has not yet been called in to provide direct on-the-ground aid to the wildfire victims.

FEMA usually sends crews to assist with wildfires through the Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program. FEMA crews typically work with local crews rather than acting as first responders. A local government must meet a certain threshold to qualify for FEMA assistance.

“They have certain parameters. First of all, there’s financial parameters. If it hits a certain dollar amount in destruction, then, of course, that triggers it. There are other triggers as well. How much land, how much area that has been impacted as well,” said U.S. Representative Earl “Buddy” Carter ( R ), GA District 1.” 

Read the full story here. 

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