Trump wants to shutter FEMA. Can states fill its shoes?

Kristi Noem said this week that she would move to “eliminate” the Federal Emergency Management Agency .

The move is the latest in a series of moves to drastically decrease or eliminate the federal government’s role in responding to climate-driven disasters.

Experts say a total withdrawal from disaster response would leave many communities in the lurch.

If FEMA shrank or disappeared, it’s unclear who would coordinate lifesaving aid between states during large disasters.

A reduction in federal grant money for resilience projects could force local governments to make harder choices.

The problem with this tough-love approach is that many states and local governments are n’t ready to handle disaster resilience on their own.

The worst-affected places would be rural areas in poor states like West Virginia , where the federal government is the only entity with the resources to finance adaptation projects like flood retention ponds or home elevations.

The rural city of Grants Pass , Oregon , is already experiencing the potential consequences of such a federal shift.