South Padre Island officials worried about FEMA’s potential disaster spending cuts
McALLEN — In the wake of the Trump administration’s announced plans to cut back on federal disaster spending, South Padre Island officials are concerned their beaches will be left vulnerable should a storm hit this hurricane season.
City staff alerted City Council this month that efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cut disaster assistance would limit the city’s ability to receive funding for beach replenishment if a storm hits.
South Padre Island, a resort town at the state’s most southern point, is home to about 2,000 people year-round. Tourists from around the world flock to its beaches, and it is particularly popular with college students during spring break.
The Trump administration has made known it wishes to roll back the federal government’s role in disaster recovery and shift more responsibility to states.
The proposed changes were outlined in an April memo from FEMA’s acting administrator Cameron Hamilton to Brian Cavanaugh, associate director for Homeland Security Office of Management and Budget. Hamilton has since been replaced.
Among the short-term changes proposed is limiting the type of recreational facilities that are eligible for public assistance funding, such as beaches, boat docks, parks and athletic facilities for which FEMA spent $2.5 billion over the last 10 years.
Instead, funds would be limited to facilities considered critical, such as mass transit, ports and harbors, facilities critical to Tribal Nations’ economies and food sovereignty, among others.
Kristina Boburka, the shoreline director for South Padre Island, argued that beaches are critical for protection against storms.
“This can be worrisome, as most beaches are the first line of defense and protection against major storms and tidal events for coastal communities and infrastructure,” Boburka said in a statement. “It has been found that ensuring coasts have a strong and healthy beach helps reduce federal emergency funding in the long term.”
FEMA did not respond to an interview request.
Maintaining the beaches sustains marine life such as sea turtles, birds, plants, and other threatened and endangered species, and also supports local and regional economies through tourism dollars, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District’s Operations Division.
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