"Workers at FEMA worry that demanding disaster survivors access services using email could shut out people without internet connectivity from receiving government aid."
"The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will now require disaster survivors to register for federal aid using an email address—a departure from previous policy where email addresses were optional. The move, FEMA employees tell WIRED, puts people across the US with little to no access to internet services at risk of losing out on crucial federal financial assistance after disasters.
In an internal operational update document seen by WIRED, the agency states that the new requirements are “an important step to prepare for the transition to digital payment methods and enhance communication with survivors throughout the application process.” The changes, the document states, are intended to support an executive order signed in March aimed at discontinuing federal paper-based payments. The changes were effective August 12, according to the document.
The rollout of the new policy last week appears to have caught staff on the ground by surprise, as they were suddenly unable to register people for aid without email addresses. Two FEMA workers providing assistance to survivors of disasters in Missouri and Tennessee told WIRED that the new policy has already caused issues. These workers spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.
One of the workers told WIRED they personally saw a colleague turn away a survivor who did not have an email address and could not be signed up for aid. The colleague, the worker told WIRED, wrote down instructions for the person to sign up for a Hotmail email address."
Molly Taft reports for WIRED August 20, 2025.
Advertisement 
