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3mo ago

FEMA Leader Says He Didn’t Know About Hurricane Season as 2025 Campaign Opens

Lawmakers fault Richardson’s disaster-management inexperience after FEMA cancels its planned 2025 hurricane response update

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A resident enters a FEMA's improvised station to attend claims by local residents affected by floods following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Marion, North Carolina, U.S., October 5, 2024. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
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This is the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Overview

  • David Richardson, a former Marine and DHS official with no disaster-management background, told FEMA staff he was unaware the U.S. has a hurricane season.
  • The Department of Homeland Security insisted Richardson’s remark was a joke and highlighted NOAA’s forecast of 13 to 19 named storms, including up to 10 hurricanes, this season.
  • Richardson announced FEMA will not issue an updated disaster response plan for the 2025 season, reversing his earlier promise of a new strategy.
  • FEMA has lost about one-third of its full-time workforce since January and sharply cut hurricane training and workshops for state and local emergency managers.
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Bennie Thompson publicly condemned Richardson’s leadership and urged his replacement.