FEMA’s newly appointed chief, David Richardson, shocked staffers by admitting he didn’t know the U.S. had a hurricane season, raising fears of federal unpreparedness ahead of a potentially devastating storm year.
At a Glance
- Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson said he was unaware the U.S. had a hurricane season
- DHS later claimed the comment was a joke, but agency confusion persists
- Richardson, a Marine veteran, has no experience in disaster management
- FEMA discarded a near-final hurricane response plan to use outdated guidance
- NOAA predicts a more severe hurricane season, while FEMA faces staffing and resource cuts
Leadership Crisis at FEMA
David Richardson, who assumed the role of Acting FEMA Administrator in May 2025, stunned federal emergency staff during a briefing when he stated, “I believe it ends sometime in September,” referring to hurricane season—which officially runs from June 1 through November 30. The Department of Homeland Security later insisted the remark was a joke, but the damage to confidence within the agency had already been done.
Richardson, a former Marine without any prior experience in emergency response, was selected after the firing of Cameron Hamilton, who resisted President Trump’s directive to devolve FEMA responsibilities to the states. Under Richardson, FEMA abandoned its new 2025 hurricane response plan—months in the making—and defaulted back to its 2024 playbook, creating confusion and resentment among staff.
Watch a report: FEMA ‘will not be ready’ for hurricane season due to DHS Secretary ….
Storms Brewing on the Horizon
This internal upheaval comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, predicting up to 10 hurricanes, five of which could be major. Meanwhile, FEMA’s workforce has shrunk by nearly 2,000 employees in just five months, largely due to federal hiring freezes and restructuring.
In a further rollback, FEMA has scaled back its survivor assistance programs, including door-to-door outreach efforts critical for reaching vulnerable populations after disasters. Critics from both sides of the aisle warn that this trend toward decentralization—an ideological pivot aimed at giving states more control—risks leaving communities under-resourced during large-scale emergencies.
As the summer unfolds, the nation’s ability to weather this year’s storms may depend less on the forces of nature than on FEMA’s internal stability—and whether its new leadership can regain the confidence it appears to have lost.
