Following Superstorm Sandy, FEMA’s response came under fire for bureaucratic delays and general inefficiency. The Sandy Recovery Improvement Act of 2013 (Pub.L. 113-2) was enacted to accelerate FEMA’s delivery of post-disaster recovery funds and streamline the agency’s grant application processes.

The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA) introduced several significant reforms that provided even greater flexibility to FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program applicants and modified the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).

The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA2K) strengthened the US federal government’s disaster relief capabilities and placed more emphasis on pre-disaster hazard mitigation planning.

The Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act was a direct response to the failures of federal response following Hurricane Katrina and was the most significant reform of the Stafford Act to that point in FEMA’s history.

The passage of the Stafford Act in 1988 was a critical moment in the history of America’s nationwide approach to emergency management.