Suffocating Under Relief: How Emergency Management Lost Its Path to Coordination

Crisis Lab

In this episode of the Crisis Lab Podcast, Kyle King shows how growing disaster aid has weakened emergency management. He traces FEMA’s move from a coordination role to a relief fund handler, points out the costs of grant-driven processes, and makes the case for rebuilding from first principles.

Tune in for a close look at institutional hurdles, a proposal to separate relief and response, and a roadmap to restore true surge capacity—so communities are ready long before the next disaster hits.

Show Highlights
[00:19] FEMA’s shift from civil defense to all-hazards management
[01:18] How coordination gave way to relief-focused work
[02:54] The downsides of relying on post-disaster aid
[03:40] Key events that reshaped emergency management
[05:11] How relief priorities hollowed out coordination skills
[09:10] Bringing back rapid national mobilization
[10:59] Structural changes to balance readiness and relief
[15:58] Putting coordination back at the center of emergency response