The new acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has privately acknowledged that his agency doesn't have A finalized disaster response plan just two weeks before the dangerous season begins, according to a new report.
David Richardson told staffers he plans to share the plan with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem late next week, the Wall Street Journal reported. Richardsonpreviously served as a top official at the Department of Homeland Security, but doesn’t have experience in emergency management, the Journal noted.
Richardson said Thursday he’s up to 20% of the plan has yet to be finished, even as hurricane season begins June 1, the Journal reported, citing FEMA employees. Multiple forecasting groups, including Colorado State University and The Weather Company, anticipate an above-average season.
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CSU predicts 17 named storms, nine hurricanes, and four major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher. All are above the 30-year average.
Richardson recently told FEMA staffers that “clarifying" President Donald Trump's plans to eliminate the agency proved a hurdle in drafting this season's disaster strategy, the report said.
He also appeared to express surprise at the various types of disasters FEMA is charged with mitigating.
“I feel a little bit like Bubba from ‘Forrest Gump,’” Richardson said, according to a video recording of a meeting with staff. “We’ve got hurricanes, we’ve got fires, we’ve got mudslides, we’ve got flash floods, we’ve got tornadoes, we’ve got droughts, we’ve got heat waves and now we’ve got volcanoes to worry about.”
The report comes after the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season featured several very large and destructive hurricanes. It ranked as the third-costliest on record with about $130 billion in damages and 437 deaths.
The season produced 18 named storms, 11 hurricanes, and five major hurricanes, including multiple Category 5 hurricanes.