‘Why He Hasn’t Been Fired Yet?’: FEMA Chief Told Staff He Didn’t Know the U.S. Had a Hurricane Season as Forecasters Predict Strong Season with 10 Named Storms
The acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency stunned staffers during a meeting Monday when he said he didn’t realize there was an annual hurricane season in the U.S., which started on Sunday.
The Department of Homeland Security has since defended Administrator David Richardson, saying in a statement that he was joking when he said he wasn’t aware of the upcoming hurricane season.
Reuters first reported the comment, citing four unnamed sources, who said Richardson’s remark that he wasn’t aware of hurricane season caused confusion because it was unclear if her was serious or joking.
“Despite meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy, there is no uncertainty about what FEMA will be doing this Hurricane Season. FEMA is laser-focused on disaster response and protecting the American people,” a spokesperson for DHS said, according to a report by NBC News.
Richardson is “activated in preparation for Hurricane Season,” the spokesperson added.
Joking or not, the comment is not going over very well with lawmakers. Democrats lambasted Richardson on social media.
“I’m Unaware of why he hasn’t been fired yet,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a post on X.
Democratic congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas also responded. “Wait WHAT? People are bracing for storms and this man just found out the weather exists?! This is what happens when you hire vibes over qualifications.”
“Bare minimum requirement for the leader of FEMA: know when hurricane season is,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said on X.
The senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees FEMA, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, also weighed in on Richardson’s comments, telling Reuters in a statement, “Suffice to say, disaster response is no joke. If you don’t know what or when hurricane season is, you’re not qualified to run FEMA. Get someone knowledgeable in there.”
Richardson, who has no experience in disaster response, was appointed acting director of FEMA in early May after the former acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, was abruptly fired.
Although DHS had denied Hamilton was removed after disagreeing with President Donald Trump on the agency’s future, he was let go after testifying at a congressional hearing that he believes Trump should not eliminate FEMA. DHS head Kristi Noem has repeatedly said Trump wants to abolish the disaster agency.
Trump said that after natural disasters in California and North Carolina, he thinks FEMA should be shuttered.
“I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away,” the president said during a visit to flood-ravaged North Carolina in January, USA Today reported. Then, during a tour of Los Angeles devastated by wildfires, he said, “I say you don’t need FEMA, you need a good state government.”
The agency coordinates the federal government’s response to disasters and emergencies, such as floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. Hurricane season just started on June 1 and runs through November. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, forecasters are predicting an above-average season this year with a chance for as many as 10 hurricanes. The agency pointed to warmer temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean as the reason for its prediction.