FEMA isn’t prepared for hurricane season, acting director concedes

Former acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton initially raised eyebrows when he was chosen to lead the agency on an acting basis, having gained online notoriety for criticizing FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene during the Biden administration.

A former Navy SEAL, Hamilton’s selection shortly after President Donald Trump’s inauguration departed from agency precedent going back to at least Hurricane Katrina, where it has typically been “led by disaster management professionals who have run state or local emergency management agencies, or were regional administrators at FEMA,” according to reporting at the New York Times.

Politico also reported that Hamilton had spread misinformation about FEMA ahead of his appointment as acting chief. But in a congressional hearing on May 7, Hamilton told lawmakers that despite testimony from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem saying FEMA should be eliminated the day before, he believed that FEMA should continue to operate.

“Communities look to FEMA in their greatest times of need,” Hamilton said, according to the Times. “And it’s imperative that we remain ready to respond to those challenges.”

FEMA operates under the purview of DHS, and his ouster followed roughly 24 hours later. He was replaced by former DHS official David Richardson, who has no formal background in emergency management.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Richardson has said in private meetings that the agency has no formal disaster plan in place as hurricane season approaches.

FEMA staffers have also warned Richardson that the agency appears unprepared for the start of the storm season, citing staffing challenges negatively impacting a full readiness assessment.

On Thursday, after viewing an internal agency document, Reuters reported that staff losses and low morale are “derailing” the agency’s preparedness for the season.