Skilled Labor Series: Eric Letvin, FEMA

My Climate Journey

This episode is part of our Skilled Labor Series hosted by MCJ partner, Yin Lu. This series is focused on amplifying the voices of folks from the skilled labor workforce, including electricians, farmers, ranchers, HVAC installers, and others who are on the front lines of rewiring our infrastructure.

Eric Letvin serves as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s deputy assistant administrator for mitigation.

Eric directs FEMA's pre and post-disaster mitigation programs that support sustainable disaster resilient communities to avoid or reduce the loss of life, property and financial impacts of natural hazards. We talk about Eric's career journey, a brief history of FEMA and what the agency does before, during, and after natural hazards or disasters. We emphasize the importance of pre-disaster mitigation alongside talking about a new tranche of funding from the Infrastructure Bill going to support the work here.

In this episode, we cover:

• [01:37]: Eric's role at FEMA and career path from engineering to hazard mitigation
• [03:43]: FEMA's inception, evolution, and mission within DHS
• [05:35]: Hazard mitigation vs. resilience outcomes
• [06:29]: FEMA's expanded role in non-natural disaster management
• [09:05]: Pre and post-disaster flood mitigation strategies and grant programs
• [11:38]: Wildfire mitigation efforts and challenges amplified by climate change
• [14:55]: FEMA's operational structure and budgeting for disaster relief and mitigation
• [17:06]: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds for resilience efforts
• [19:03]: Examples of funded projects in disadvantaged communities
• [20:17]: The significance of FEMA's Flood Mitigation Assistance program in the face of climate change
• [22:56]: Advances in flood mapping technology and risk communication
• [24:40]: Challenges in modeling wildfire risk and the dynamic nature of wildfire hazards
• [26:34]: The importance of building codes in disaster readiness
• [28:59]: The shift towards prioritizing pre-disaster mitigation funding
• [30:00]: Lessons from past disasters on the value of proactive mitigation

Resources mentioned:

• The Fifth National Climate Assessment
• Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Report

Episode recorded on Nov 16, 2023 (Published on Feb 29, 2024)

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