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Axios
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Axios
NOAA warns of heightened hurricane season while Trump eyes disaster response cuts
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be above normal, NOAA meteorologists said Thursday in their annual forecast. Why it matters: The outlook comes as the Trump administration explores downsizing or dismantling FEMA, the federal agency tasked with responding to storms and other natural disasters. The big picture: This year is likely to have 13 to 19 named storms, with three to five of those being Category 3 hurricanes or stronger, according to National Weather Service director Ken Graham. This season isn't expected to be as active as last year's, he said. Colorado State University's forecast last month lines up with NOAA's — "above-normal" activity with 17 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes. Zoom in: In response to questions about staffing cuts, Graham and acting NOAA administrator Laura Grimm told reporters Thursday they are confident in their forecasting ability for the season. Graham also told Axios that NWS this year is seeing the same level of interest in weather briefings from their federal partners, including FEMA, as compared to last year, despite those cutbacks. "We are fully staffed at the Hurricane Center, and we definitely are ready to go," Grimm said. Zoom out: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday reiterated the administration's priority to shift FEMA's responsibilities to states. "Our goal is that states should manage their emergencies and we come in and support them," she said at the meeting to reform FEMA, according to Reuters. President Trump — whose budget proposes more than $646 million in cuts to FEMA — has signed executive orders aimed at streamlining the federal disaster agency and shifting more responsibility to the states, Axios' Natalie Daher writes. Fully eliminating FEMA would require an act of Congress. Other staffing cuts and changes being made to NOAA and its agencies, including the NWS, are raising concerns about reduced forecasting abilities. Between the lines: David Richardson, the current acting head of FEMA as of earlier this month, has no experience managing natural disasters and acknowledged in private meetings that the agency doesn't yet have a fully formed hurricane response plan, the Wall Street Journal reported. "As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood," warned an internal review obtained by CNN last week. "Thus FEMA is not ready." Since that leak, FEMA appears to be taking steps to bolster its disaster response efforts, according to CNN. Threat level: Louisiana, Texas and Florida could face the greatest financial burdens in a world with less federal relief assistance, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes, based on new analysis from the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database. Louisiana residents also have received the most FEMA direct assistance since 2015, according to Carnegie. Louisiana's congressional delegation expressed concern earlier this month to Axios about the federal government's ability to respond to a large-scale disaster. The intrigue: The National Hurricane Center leadership gave the forecast in Gretna, a suburb of New Orleans, in honor of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastation in the region. How it works: Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1, but storms can form any time. NHC began its daily tropical outlook May 15, and so far all has been quiet in the Gulf, Caribbean and Atlantic. Historically, the most active period for strong storms in the Gulf and the Atlantic is August and September.
Axios
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Leadership shakeup at FEMA raises alarms in Louisiana
FEMA's leadership has changed again, less than a month before the start of Atlantic hurricane season. Why it matters: It raises questions for Louisiana and other coastal states that rely heavily on federal help after disasters. The big picture: Cameron Hamilton, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was fired this week, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to CNN. David Richardson is the new acting administrator, effective immediately, CNN is reporting. The change came a day after Hamilton told federal lawmakers that he does not support dismantling FEMA, an idea floated by the Trump administration. What they're saying: "I, and I alone in FEMA, speak for FEMA. I'm here to carry out the president's intent for FEMA," Richardson told FEMA staff Friday, Reuters reported. Zoom in:"A month before hurricane season hits, Trump is continuing his war against critical disaster aid," U.S. Rep. Troy Carter Sr., a Democrat, wrote in a statement to Axios. "Protecting people and their homes during and after natural disasters shouldn't be partisan." He joined fellow Democratic U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields last month in sending a letter to President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, expressing "profound concerns" with eliminating aid via FEMA. Fields, in an interview Friday with Axios New Orleans, said, "It's unfortunate that we don't have a director at a very vulnerable time, especially for Louisiana." It's already a high-stress job, he said, and now the new person will have to factor in "every time they are making a decision if they are going to upset the president." Zoom out: Louisiana's congressional delegation has called for reform and other changes instead of eliminating the agency. "FEMA can't go away," U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican, told reporters earlier this year, according to Politico. "I think the first job of the federal government is to protect people and property." U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, on Friday also reiterated his focus on FEMA's ability to help if needed. "The key thing for Louisiana before hurricane season is that FEMA is prepared to assist Louisiana or any other state should a natural disaster strike," he said in a statement to Axios. "The most important question on who heads the agency is their ability to complete this job." Threat level: Louisiana, Texas and Florida could face the greatest financial burdens in a world with less federal relief assistance, per a new analysis from the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database. Louisiana received an average of about $1.4 billion annually in FEMA and Department of Housing and Urban Development relief funding from 2015 to 2024, covering 14 disasters. Louisiana residents also have received the most FEMA direct assistance since 2015, according to Carnegie. Go deeper. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it will retire its "billion-dollar weather and climate disasters" database, according to Andrew Freedman at CNN. The public database tracked the cost of natural disasters since 1980. State of play: Trump signed an executive order in March that empowers state and local governments to handle disaster readiness and relief. FEMA and other federal agencies already funnel billions of dollars to individuals and communities. It's unclear how or whether Trump's order might change that, or if it would result in fewer federal dollars for disaster-wracked states. Some FEMA reform advocates call for giving states "block grants" of relief money to spend as they see fit, rather than to meet specific needs — but others worry that would lead to fraud and abuse, or that many states lack the resources and expertise to rebuild without help. What's next: Hurricane season officially starts June 1, but storms can form any time.
Axios
16-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
FEMA cuts could devastate Louisiana
Louisiana, Texas and Florida could face the greatest financial burdens in a world with less federal relief assistance, a new analysis finds. Why it matters: President Trump earlier this year floated"fundamentally overhauling or reforming" FEMA, or "maybe getting rid" of it entirely — fueling concerns that U.S. disaster relief could be thrown into chaos just a few months before Atlantic hurricane season starts. The big picture: The tropics have been the focus of the National Hurricane Conference that's happening in New Orleans this week. The gathering comes during uncertain times in the meteorological world, with cuts and changes being made to NOAA and its agencies, including the National Weather Service. Advocates are voicing concerns about reduced forecasting abilities. Between the lines: NOAA and FEMA officials typically attend the conference, but they didn't this year due to travel restrictions, according to The Times-Picayune. Catch up quick: Trump signed an executive order last month that empowers state and local governments to handle disaster readiness and relief. FEMA and other federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, already funnel billions of dollars to individuals and communities. It's unclear how or whether Trump's order might change that, or if it would result in fewer federal dollars for disaster-wracked states. Some FEMA reform advocates call for giving states "block grants" of relief money to spend as they see fit, rather than to meet specific needs — but others worry that would lead to fraud and abuse, or that many states lack the resources and expertise to rebuild without help. By the numbers: Certain states — many of them red — would be hit especially hard by reductions in federal relief funding, per a new analysis from the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database. Louisiana, for example, received an average of about $1.4 billion annually in FEMA and HUD relief funding from 2015 to 2024, covering 14 disasters. That's equal to 6.3% of the state's approximately $21.9 billion in overall spending in fiscal 2023. Florida received $2.1 billion a year on average during that time, equal to 2.8% of the state's 2023 spending. And Texas got $1.4 billion, equal to 1.8% of its 2023 spending. What they're saying: "Up to now, when there is a disaster, the government responds. They clean up the debris, they rebuild the schools, they run shelters, they clean the drinking water," says Sarah Labowitz of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who led this analysis. "All of that is supported by a federal disaster relief ecosystem that spreads the risk around the country, spreads the costs around the country. And if we stop spreading the costs around the country, then it's going to fall on states, and it's going to fall on states really unevenly." State of play: "I think we're all in agreement about [FEMA] reform, but let's do it smartly and be able at the same time to complete the mission," Pete Gaynor, who ran FEMA for about two years during Trump's first term, tells Axios. Part of FEMA's utility, Gaynor says, is directing not just money but people, including relief experts who can be dispatched to states as needed after disaster strikes. But he's concerned about an exodus of FEMA staffers, in part tied to Trump's broader purge of federal workers. More than 200 of FEMA's 20,000-plus staffers have been fired, NPR reports. "Where does this goal of reform stop before it's too late and you lose these capabilities that have been critical over time?" Gaynor says. "There has been and will continue to be a departure of [senior leaders] that have been at FEMA for 25-30 years, experts at everything — they leave, and you have a freeze on hiring, or you instill fear into the workforce, that's going to hurt."
Axios
25-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
What Texas could lose if Trump cuts FEMA
Texas could face greater financial burdens than most other states if President Trump slashes federal resources for disaster relief, a new analysis finds. Why it matters: Trump floated"fundamentally overhauling or reforming" FEMA, or "maybe getting rid" of it entirely — fueling concerns that U.S. disaster relief could be thrown into chaos. By the numbers: Texas would be hit especially hard by reductions in federal relief funding, according to the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database. The state received an average of about $1.4 billion a year in FEMA and HUD relief funding from 2015 to 2024, covering 16 disasters. That's equal to 1.8% of Texas' approximate $79 billion in overall spending in fiscal year 2023. Zoom in: Last year, FEMA doled out about $1.2 billion in Houston to help with recovery from Hurricane Beryl and a separate severe windstorm. HUD spent another $938 million total for both events. It's not just coastal cities at risk — residents in more than 100 Texas counties, including Bexar, qualified for FEMA aid after the deadly 2021 winter storm. The state received $43.6 million in federal assistance. Separately, FEMA in the past has reimbursed some costs of operating San Antonio's Migrant Resource Center. It has a pending $13.2 million reimbursement that the Trump administration is keeping until the city provides details about "activities" at the now-shuttered center. The city says it plans on providing the information. Driving the news: Trump is reportedly mulling an executive order empowering state and local governments to handle disaster readiness and relief, and he has already created a "FEMA review council." FEMA and other federal agencies funnel billions of dollars to people and communities affected by disasters, ranging from building and infrastructure assistance to financial and direct services for households. It's unclear how or whether Trump's order could change that. What they're saying: "Up to now, when there is a disaster, the [federal] government responds," says Sarah Labowitz of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Labowitz leads the spending database.
Axios
25-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
States that could suffer without FEMA include Georgia
Some of the most disaster-prone areas in Georgia could face the greatest financial burdens in a world with less federal assistance, a new analysis finds. Why it matters: President Trump this year floated"fundamentally overhauling or reforming" FEMA or "maybe getting rid" of it — fueling concerns that U.S. disaster relief could be thrown into chaos. The coastal and southern corners of Georgia that see hurricanes and tornadoes have used significant FEMA funding, including $614.7 million in response to 2024's Hurricanes Debby and Helene. Driving the news: Trump signed an executive order last week to shift disaster readiness to state and local governments. FEMA and other federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, already funnel billions of dollars to individuals and communities. It's unclear how or whether Trump's order might change disaster funding, or whether it would result in fewer federal dollars for disaster-wracked areas in Georgia. Friction point: Some FEMA reform advocates call for giving states "block grants" of relief money to spend as they see fit, rather than to meet specific needs — but others worry that would lead to fraud and abuse, or that many states lack the resources and expertise to rebuild without help. By the numbers: Georgia received $1.9 billion in FEMA and HUD relief funding from September 2003 to January 2025, covering 22 disasters, per a new analysis from the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database. State of play: Farmers in Georgia and other states are still waiting for the federal government to make available roughly $21 billion in aid related to Hurricane Helene. Zoom in: Georgia's 1st, 8th and 12th Congressional Districts received $50.3 million, $84.6 million and $155.8 million in FEMA dollars sent to more than 380,000 individuals and households from 2021-2025, according to the database. Georgia's 5th Congressional District, which includes Atlanta, received $5.1 million. What they're saying: When disasters occur, the federal government helps clean up, shelter people and provide water, says Sarah Labowitz of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who led the analysis.
