WASHINGTON, D.C. - Eighty-two conservation and advocacy organizations urged the leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to immediately reconvene Congress to pass critically needed disaster-relief aid for the victims of Hurricane Helene and other storms, including Hurricane Milton, which is expected to directly hit Tampa Bay and the West coast of Florida.

The National Wildlife Federation, America's largest wildlife conservation organization, and eight of its state affiliates - Florida Wildlife Federation, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, PennFuture, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Virginia Conservation Network, and West Virginia Rivers Coalition - signed the letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

"The communities impacted by Hurricane Helene deserve a robust Disaster Relief Fund that is able to address our needs and the needs of all other disaster-impacted communities through the end of the year. … Congress needs to give FEMA and the Disaster Relief Fund the necessary resources to avoid any delays or possible reprioritizations as the fund is exhausted," the National Wildlife Federation and other organizations said in the letter. "Congress cannot wait to act and let counting disaster relief funds down to exact change get in the way of full federal support for people and communities who have lost everything."

With nearly two months remaining in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, the National Wildlife Federation and its allies highlighted how additional disaster-assistance funding for FEMA will not only help communities in the agency's recovery backlog, but also underscore the country's commitment to the people and wildlife directly affected by climate-fueled unnatural disasters.