FEMA Chief’s Hurricane Season Blind Spot Sparks Alarm and Confusion

The newly appointed head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), David Richardson, stunned staff this week by admitting he was unaware the U.S. has a hurricane season. This statement has sparked widespread confusion and concern inside the agency tasked with responding to natural disasters.

The comment was made during a FEMA all-hands briefing on June 2, just one day after the official start of hurricane season, which runs from June through November. While a spokesperson later claimed the remark was a joke, four agency insiders told Reuters it left staff unsure whether David Richardson was being serious, and more worried about FEMA’s readiness as the 2024 storm season begins.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this year’s hurricane season is expected to be above normal, with up to 10 hurricanes likely to strike U.S. shores. The comment and FEMA’s apparent lack of updated disaster plans are raising fresh concerns about the agency’s capacity to respond to severe weather events.

David Richardson, a former Marine artillery officer with no prior disaster response experience, told staff there would be no changes to FEMA’s existing hurricane plan, despite earlier promises to roll out a new strategy by May 23. Sources say this inconsistency, paired with sweeping staff reductions and cutbacks on hurricane preparedness training, is creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and disarray within FEMA.

More than 2,000 FEMA employees, roughly one-third of the agency’s full-time workforce, have left since the Trump administration began in January. Additionally, FEMA recently reduced its hurricane response training sessions for state and local emergency managers due to travel and communication restrictions.

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While President Donald Trump has floated the idea of shrinking or eliminating FEMA, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem approved Richardson’s request to retain over 2,600 short-term disaster staff, who make up around 40% of FEMA’s disaster response force.

Still, Democratic leaders remain unconvinced. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer posted the Reuters headline to X (formerly Twitter), writing he was “unaware of why [Richardson] hasn’t been fired yet.” Rep. Bennie Thompson, ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, added, “If you don’t know what or when hurricane season is, you’re not qualified to run FEMA.”

And I’m unaware of why he hasn’t been fired yet. pic.twitter.com/gnzVVOkJol

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 2, 2025

Richardson has cited his military background and his previous role at the Department of Homeland Security’s Weapons of Mass Destruction office as credentials for the job. But critics say that disaster management is no place for improvisation or inexperience, especially as climate change makes storms more powerful and more frequent.

With millions of Americans living in hurricane-prone regions and billions in infrastructure at risk, FEMA’s leadership is now under intense scrutiny. Whether or not Richardson’s comment was a joke, few inside or outside the agency are laughing.