Axios reporting that an Exec Order signed to revamp FEMA

[allegorical oracle]

11. Public buildings are covered by Public Infrastructure, which is separate from assistance to

homeowners. Insurance covers some of the public infrastructure, but the qualification of uninsured public losses is always a lengthy wrangle during recovery.

Basically, the municipality receives only reimbursement for what the disaster wrecked -- roads, bridges, schools, libraries. If a public structure was already in disrepair, it likely won't be totally reimbursed. If it's a critical road or bridge, it stands a good chance of getting repair assistance. The Small Business Administration provides low interest loans to small businesses and individual homeowners. Costs are split between state and federal funding -- usually on a 25/75 basis. Huge disasters like Katrina and now California often end up in a 10/90 share or even a 100 percent federal coverage.

Is the agency as good as it good be? No. But the improvements inevitably are attempted between storms, simply because there's so many disasters that are being worked at any given time. The full time FEMA staff is only a few thousand people and is augmented by several hundred "reservists" who respond when needed.