Analyze

Some residents of flooded homes in Three Rivers/Woodlake blame new housing developments that replaced orchards and a creek bed for recent flooding

Farmers drove pickup trucks loaded with dirt into a breached levee, then covered the trucks with dirt

Here Verizon presents itself as socially responsible by supprting small businesses with small grants. 

Individuals are encouraged to support the "cause" of keeping businesses open. Businesses become like charities or a good to support with the dollars of consumers. The rest of Verizon's loans are "unlocked" with the shallow digital participation of using the hashtag #PayItForwardLIVE by viewers of the Verizon-sponsored living-room streamed concerts of famous artists. 

Digital products that underly payment for small businesses (PayPal, Venmo, Square) are also portrayed as doing a social good by virtue of being platforms through which individuals can "Support" thier local businesses with gift cards, tips, and more. 

Relatedly, in the USA Today article: 

"The Small Business Administration program offers firms employing 500 or fewer workers low-interest loans to cover their costs while they're shuttered. But while the SBA has approved billions in loans since April 3, businesses point to a myriad of challenges in the PPP's rollout: technical glitches, an avalanche of requests, a lack of response, and an exhaustion of money." - so the Verizon grants as well as other grants are portrayed as heroically and competently stepping in to save small businesses, portrayed as the backbones of disadvantaged communities. 

FEMA is Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. This organization aim to prepare for, response to, recover from disaster.

There are 27 federal agencies that FEMA absorbed included, The Federal Insurance Administration, The National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, The national Weather Service Community Preparedness Program and so on. Besides, it cooperate with non-government organization such as Red Cross.

FEMA has involved in fire grants, preparedness, mitigation and individual assistance in different emergency response. FEMA aim to recover after disaster in short term, and also rebuild and finance support for local government in long term.

However, from some research shows that FEMA seems is not good to approach disaster or emergency response. For the Hurricane Katrina in 2005, FEMA received negative criticism because of the slow response, un-effective assistance. Besides, FEMA also has intense criticism in others disaster, such as Buffalo snowstorm (2006) and California wildfires (2007).

FEMA has a new mission which is help to ensure that the nation’s first responders were trained to deal with weapons of mass destruction, and help communities face the threat of terrorism. Especially, it more influenced when 911 happened.

The terrorist attacks of Sept.11th have motivated FEMA more think about the homeland security and set a new department to approach to national security from both natural and man-made emergency.

The law has signed for emergency triggers financial and physical assistance through the FEMA. It is also funding for training as agency’s preparedness effort. It shapes the way of prepare for hazards, and make a better intergovernmental coordination.

There is an interactive tool which can search some grant data by location and disaster. They apply diagram to show the data and easy to analyse. For example, Summary of Disaster Declarations and Grants which can see the Federal declared disaster occurred in each state, and also summary of FEMA’s support for fire, preparedness, mitigation, and assistance. There are also other graphics show different data of disaster and FEMA assistance.