8 hours ago
US disaster agency sparks concern with baffling move as hurricane season begins: 'Not ready'
Just about two weeks before the start of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it was withdrawing its broader strategic plan for disaster relief operations.
Now, the agency has also announced it will not complete new hurricane-specific guidance for 2025, turning instead to last year's guidance for hurricane response.
According to a late-May report from CBS News, FEMA's acting Administrator, David Richardson, announced on May 21, "The 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan is hereby rescinded."
Richardson said the goals within that plan did not align with the agency's mission and that FEMA would create a new plan this summer in support of a 2026-2030 overall strategy.
One official told CBS that FEMA's goal now is to do only what is legally prescribed. Among other things, this would close the Office of Resilience Strategy, the primary objective of which has been to develop infrastructure that mitigates storm damage.
While a source within the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, told CBS that the emergency agency is ready for the hurricane season, a recent internal presentation reportedly included materials that said, "As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood, thus FEMA is not ready."
In a separate instance, the DHS said in a statement that Richardson was joking when he remarked in a June 2 meeting with staff that he didn't know there was a hurricane season in the United States.
In that same meeting, Richardson announced that a new plan specifically for hurricane response would not be completed for this season. Instead, according to the Wall Street Journal, FEMA would stick to last year's guidance. The Journal reported, "Some were confused how that would be possible, given the agency had already eliminated key programs and sharply cut its workforce."
With last year's Helene named the deadliest hurricane in 20 years, it's understandable that many are anxious about what could transpire over the coming months and are hoping for strong, united guidance to face what may unfold.
Hurricane Helene led to the deaths of at least 250 people in the U.S. — that's the most since 2005's Katrina. Last year, the Atlantic hurricane season, which typically runs from June through November, was also one of the most economically devastating on record, including for low- and middle-income countries in Central America and the Caribbean.
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Increasingly, heat-trapping pollution is causing global temperatures to rise, supercharging extreme weather events worldwide. That means the risk of major storm recurrence is high, demanding to be met with planning to address human safety, property loss prevention, and area cleanup.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already predicted that there is a 60% chance of "above-normal hurricane activity" in 2025. Many fear that history could repeat itself, with tragedy and destruction all too likely to occur in the same areas still recovering from past hurricane seasons.
Even as federal agencies may pivot from past priorities, some states — like hurricane-vulnerable Louisiana and North Carolina as well as flood-prone Massachusetts — are stepping up.
Community members can help to ensure the success of such efforts by supporting humanitarian relief and pro-environment policies. And neighbors can help take care of each other by sharing information and resources in advance of major storms.
Strategic plans are indeed all about advanced action, and the transition, individually and en masse — from dirty energy to clean, renewable sources — could help to mitigate the rising temperatures driving more frequent and more intense hurricanes.
Exploring related climate issues at the local level could catalyze activities closer to home with the potential for wide-ranging impacts. Organizing a ride-share program, for example, or making the switch to solar as a community could help make a difference.
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