In This Article

• What is FEMA, and why was it created?
• How do states currently handle disaster response?
• What are the biggest weaknesses of a FEMA-less system?
• Could regional cooperation or private systems fill the gap?
• What past disasters tell us about going it alone?

Could States Handle Disaster Response Without FEMA?

FEMA wasn’t created because everything was going fine. It emerged from a long list of failures. From the Hurricane Camille catastrophe in 1969 to the disjointed federal response to a 1972 dam collapse in West Virginia, the need for a centralized disaster response system was undeniable. By 1979, FEMA was formed to coordinate across jurisdictions, pool national resources, and respond swiftly to disasters that exceeded state capacity.

It wasn’t just about boots on the ground—it was about federal muscle. Think helicopters, emergency shelters, medical surge teams, and billions in relief funding. FEMA’s mandate was clear: when things go really wrong, the feds step in. But what if they couldn’t?

The Patchwork Quilt of State Response

Every state has its own emergency management agency. Some are well-oiled machines, like California’s Office of Emergency Services. Others? Less so. The level of preparedness, funding, and coordination varies wildly. Some states invest heavily in response capabilities. Others, constrained by political priorities or limited tax bases, are dangerously under-resourced.

States can activate National Guard units, call on local police and fire departments, and coordinate with neighboring states through regional agreements like EMAC (Emergency Management Assistance Compact). But let’s be honest—none of that replaces FEMA’s deep pockets or logistical reach.

Where States Shine—and Where They Fail

State agencies often have better situational awareness than the feds. They know the roads, the rivers, the weak bridges. Their leaders are more directly accountable to local citizens. In theory, this makes for faster, more customized responses. But that theory collapses under the weight of large-scale disasters.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 offered a brutal reality check. Louisiana’s state systems were overwhelmed, under-equipped, and poorly coordinated. The city of New Orleans descended into chaos. FEMA stumbled too—but without it, the humanitarian disaster would’ve spiraled even further out of control.

Fast-forward to Hurricane Ian in 2022. Florida handled some aspects well but leaned heavily on FEMA funding, disaster declarations, and long-term housing solutions. Even with political tensions high, state officials knew FEMA was essential. Why? Because insurance companies run when the floods rise. Because rebuilding entire towns isn’t something you can crowdsource or delegate to a county office.

What Happens When There’s No Federal Backup?

Without FEMA, state responses would become deeply unequal. Wealthier states might manage—think California or New York. But what about Mississippi? West Virginia? New Mexico? Without federal grants and logistical coordination, these states would drown—sometimes literally.

We’d also lose the connective tissue FEMA provides. Interstate coordination isn’t automatic. It depends on goodwill, shared standards, and trust—all of which get stretched thin when disasters become political bargaining chips. Imagine Texas refusing to assist Colorado during wildfires because of ideological disputes. That’s not a hypothetical—it’s a risk when disaster aid becomes fragmented.

Can the Private Sector or Mutual Aid Fill the Void?

It’s tempting to imagine the private sector stepping in. Insurance companies, contractors, and nonprofits already play a role. But let’s not overestimate their motives or reach. For-profit insurers avoid high-risk areas. Private security firms protect the wealthy. And charities like the Red Cross do vital work, but they’re not designed to rebuild highways or manage mass evacuations.

Mutual aid networks—community-led grassroots response groups—have stepped up in recent years. From COVID-era food delivery to wildfire evacuations, they embody resilience. But they lack infrastructure, funding, and long-term sustainability. You can’t rely on volunteer networks to relocate entire populations or repair a collapsed dam.

Lessons from the Frontlines

COVID-19 laid bare what happens when federal leadership falters. States were forced into bidding wars for PPE, ventilators, and test kits. The richest and most aggressive won; the rest waited—and died. That fragmented system is a preview of what a FEMA-free future could look like.

And while COVID was a health disaster, the dynamics were eerily similar: overwhelmed systems, political infighting, and citizens caught in the crossfire. Wildfires in California, blizzards in Texas, flooding in the Midwest—it’s always the same refrain. States can’t do it alone. They need a partner with scale, funding, and no allegiance to political winds.

As the climate crisis accelerates, disasters are becoming more frequent, more destructive, and more interconnected. What used to be “once-in-a-century” floods are now happening every five years. Infrastructure built for the 20th century is buckling under 21st-century stress.

In this environment, decentralizing disaster response is like pulling your lifeboats off the Titanic. It may sound efficient in a boardroom, but it’s suicidal in practice. Coordination isn’t bureaucracy—it’s survival. FEMA, for all its flaws, provides a level of national consistency that no patchwork of state agencies can match.

Reform, Not Removal

This isn’t to say FEMA is perfect. Its bureaucracy has failed communities. Its response to marginalized populations—especially Black and Indigenous communities—has often been tone-deaf or discriminatory. Reform is essential. But abolishing FEMA or letting it atrophy is not the solution. Strengthening state agencies should happen in tandem with a strong federal backbone—not as a replacement.

If we want resilient communities, we need robust partnerships across all levels of government. States are the frontlines, but FEMA is the reserve force. In an age of compounding crises, we can’t afford to remove one leg of the stool and expect the system to stay upright.

Without FEMA, we don’t get more freedom—we get more chaos. And in the middle of a flood, fire, or earthquake, chaos is the last thing anyone needs.

About the Author

Alex Jordan is a staff writer for InnerSelf.com

Recommended books:

Capital in the Twenty-First Century
by Thomas Piketty. (Translated by Arthur Goldhammer)

In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty analyzes a unique collection of data from twenty countries, ranging as far back as the eighteenth century, to uncover key economic and social patterns. But economic trends are not acts of God. Political action has curbed dangerous inequalities in the past, says Thomas Piketty, and may do so again. A work of extraordinary ambition, originality, and rigor, Capital in the Twenty-First Century reorients our understanding of economic history and confronts us with sobering lessons for today. His findings will transform debate and set the agenda for the next generation of thought about wealth and inequality.

Click here for more info and/or to order this book on Amazon.

Nature's Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature
by Mark R. Tercek and Jonathan S. Adams.

What is nature worth? The answer to this question—which traditionally has been framed in environmental terms—is revolutionizing the way we do business. In Nature’s Fortune, Mark Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy and former investment banker, and science writer Jonathan Adams argue that nature is not only the foundation of human well-being, but also the smartest commercial investment any business or government can make. The forests, floodplains, and oyster reefs often seen simply as raw materials or as obstacles to be cleared in the name of progress are, in fact as important to our future prosperity as technology or law or business innovation. Nature’s Fortune offers an essential guide to the world’s economic—and environmental—well-being.

Click here for more info and/or to order this book on Amazon.

Beyond Outrage: What has gone wrong with our economy and our democracy, and how to fix it -- by Robert B. Reich

In this timely book, Robert B. Reich argues that nothing good happens in Washington unless citizens are energized and organized to make sure Washington acts in the public good. The first step is to see the big picture. Beyond Outrage connects the dots, showing why the increasing share of income and wealth going to the top has hobbled jobs and growth for everyone else, undermining our democracy; caused Americans to become increasingly cynical about public life; and turned many Americans against one another. He also explains why the proposals of the “regressive right” are dead wrong and provides a clear roadmap of what must be done instead. Here’s a plan for action for everyone who cares about the future of America.

Click here for more info or to order this book on Amazon.

This Changes Everything: Occupy Wall Street and the 99% Movement
by Sarah van Gelder and staff of YES! Magazine.

This Changes Everything shows how the Occupy movement is shifting the way people view themselves and the world, the kind of society they believe is possible, and their own involvement in creating a society that works for the 99% rather than just the 1%. Attempts to pigeonhole this decentralized, fast-evolving movement have led to confusion and misperception. In this volume, the editors of YES! Magazine bring together voices from inside and outside the protests to convey the issues, possibilities, and personalities associated with the Occupy Wall Street movement. This book features contributions from Naomi Klein, David Korten, Rebecca Solnit, Ralph Nader, and others, as well as Occupy activists who were there from the beginning.

Click here for more info and/or to order this book on Amazon.

Article Recap

If FEMA didn’t exist, most states would struggle to handle large-scale disasters alone. While state disaster response has strengths, it lacks the funding, coordination, and scale of federal support. FEMA alternatives remain theoretical,