Overview
- FEMA told staff it would cease offboarding disaster workers with contracts set to expire in the coming days, without specifying how long the pause will last.
- The agency activated its National Response Coordination Center, sent teams to Texas, Virginia, Georgia and Pennsylvania, and pre-staged 30 generators, 250,000 meals and 400,000 liters of water in Louisiana.
- About 300 CORE personnel were removed earlier in January after renewal authority shifted to DHS leadership, with only a few extensions approved.
- DHS said disaster roles are term‑limited positions designed to fluctuate with operational activity, need and available funding.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited FEMA headquarters for a storm briefing and spoke with governors as more than 200 call‑center specialists were readied and Urban Search and Rescue teams were placed on standby.