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Emergency preparedness

FEMA Staff Warn of Catastrophic Consequences After Trump Attacks on Agency

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

In a scathing letter, over 180 current and former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees have warned Congress of the catastrophic consequences of President Donald Trump's attacks on the agency. The letter, titled The Katrina Declaration, comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,833 people and caused widespread destruction in New Orleans and the Gulf coast. The staff at FEMA argue that Trump's policies are ignoring the mistakes that led to the disaster and are exposing the US to another catastrophic event.

Key Takeaways:

  • The letter, signed by over 180 current and former FEMA employees, warns Congress of the catastrophic consequences of Trump's attacks on the agency.
  • The staff at FEMA argue that Trump's policies are ignoring the mistakes that led to Hurricane Katrina and are exposing the US to another catastrophic event.
  • The letter criticizes the Trump administration's policies of disregarding the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act (PKERMA) and ignoring climate science.
  • The signatories accuse FEMA leaders, including Kristi Noem and David Richardson, of lacking legal qualifications, Senate approval, and demonstrated background required of a FEMA administrator.
  • The letter demands that FEMA be given full cabinet level agency status and defended from interference from the Department of Homeland Security.
  • The signatories include condemnation of "the ongoing failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator, as required by law" and "censorship of climate science".
  • A petition at the end of the letter demands that FEMA be given full cabinet level agency status and defended from interference from the Department of Homeland Security.

Statistics:

  • 183 current and former FEMA employees signed the letter.
  • 36 of the signatories attached their names, leaving them open to possible retribution.
  • 144 signatories withheld their identities.
  • 20 years have passed since Hurricane Katrina, in which 1,833 people were killed and widespread destruction was caused.
  • Over 2,000 FEMA staff have departed in recent months, leaving the agency short of institutional expertise in key positions.
  • The flooding in Texas last month left at least 135 people dead, including 37 school children.

Sources:

  • The Guardian
  • The New York Times
  • A letter to Congress and the Senate from over 180 current and former FEMA employees, titled The Katrina Declaration

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