Former FEMA official thinks the White House is 'finally aware of the gravity' of the coronavirus situation

Coronavirus.
(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is preparing for President Trump to make an emergency declaration in the wake of the coronavirus spread, NBC News reports, but former FEMA officials find the news reassuring.

The White House didn't comment on the matter, but there's an inkling that Trump could possibly use the 1988 Stafford Act to provide FEMA with extra money and personnel to provide assistance to communities across the United States. While that might make some people nervous, its putting others' minds at ease, since it could signify the Trump administration — which has been criticized for its response so far — isn't being too lax about the situation.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.