- With less than $1 billion currently available for federal disaster assistance, FEMA said Sunday it will temporarily suspend payments to rebuild roads, schools and other structures destroyed during spring tornadoes in Joplin, Mo. in order to pay for damage caused by Hurricane Irene. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/fema-moving-money-around-to-pay-for-hurricane-irene/2011/08/28/giqawwmhkj_blog.html 39 comments politics