Mark Robertson

Mark Robertson

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency is “not ready” for hurricane season

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is “not ready” for hurricane season, which starts on June 1, according to internal documents. 

This information comes from stories in the conservative-leaning Washington Examiner and it should scare and anger those of us in the southeast who are vulnerable during hurricane season.

Revelations of FEMA being ill-prepared ahead of hurricane season come as the agency has seen a 30% reduction in its workforce due to Department of Government Efficiency layoffs and buyouts. Since last year, President Donald Trump has talked about moving the responsibility of responding to natural disasters to the states.  

The internal review was called on by new acting Administrator David Richardson, and it reveals the agency has seen the “quality of people lost cannot be replaced right away,” with most hurricane preparations being “derailed this year due to other activities like staffing and contracts,” according to slides obtained by the Hill. 

“As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood,” the document states. “Thus FEMA is not ready.” Just last week, Trump fired the former FEMA administrator, Cameron Hamilton, who told Congress that the agency should not be eliminated.

Meanwhile The White House maintained that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has taken hurricane season planning “seriously,” despite recent reports that its leadership has scrapped its response plan and joked about the matter in formal meetings.

With the start of the six-month hurricane season on Sunday, FEMA has faced growing scrutiny and criticism over its preparedness to respond to major national disasters along the Gulf Coast and East Coast.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted on Tuesday afternoon that the Trump administration was focused on responding to a major storm.

“FEMA is taking this seriously, seriously, contrary to some of the reporting we have seen based on jokes that were made and leaks from meetings,” Leavitt said during a White House press briefing. “Secretary Kristi Noem and the FEMA leadership are all over this. They are committed to ensuring that federal resources and tax dollars are there for Americans in need, and the president continues to review requests for emergency aid and carefully considers them.”

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FEMA Report Indicates Agency Not Prepared For Hurricane Season

Photo: Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images News / Getty Images


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