FEMA announces $3 billion for climate resiliency as time runs low for Congress to replenish its disaster fund

In a record-breaking year of disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is announcing nearly $3 billion Monday for communities to build resiliency against climate change-fueled extreme weather.

The new money, which will come from Congress’s bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, is being announced just as the agency is running out of disaster-relief funds and a dangerous hurricane is bearing down on Florida. FEMA needs Congress to approve additional spending when it’s back in session to prevent the agency from falling into the red.

The infrastructure law contained billions of dollars to help make communities more resilient to the impacts of a warming planet, like rising sea levels and stronger storms. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told CNN studies have shown resilience is an investment that pays off.