New FEMA Director Announces That States Will Lead Hurricane Recovery Efforts, Starting In Two Weeks [View all]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s acting chief plans to shift responsibility for disaster recovery to states during the upcoming hurricane season, he said during a staff town hall on Thursday. David Richardson said his intention was to “return primacy to the states” as part of an agencywide transformation.

In comments that cemented the Trump administration’s intent to bring about a major shift in the agency’s mission, Richardson said FEMA’s intent for the 2025 “disaster season” will be to strengthen states’ abilities for response and recovery while coordinating federal assistance “when deemed necessary.”

The comments dovetail with a broad-based effort by the Trump administration to overhaul and downsize the federal government. They come just 17 days before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which scientists predict will see an above-average 17 named storms and four major hurricanes. Richardson said FEMA was “to some degree, to a great degree, ready for disaster season ’25,” and that he would be submitting a plan for the season to Noem by next Friday.

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While Richardson downplayed the likelihood that FEMA would disappear altogether, he said his role was to realize Trump’s vision of how disasters are managed, which he said means pushing a “large part” of response and recovery to the states. Some states, including Florida and Texas, are already adequately prepared for disasters, according to the acting chief. Others should prepare to shoulder more of the financial burden, he said, warning that the typical federal 75% cost share for things like repairing public infrastructure could change as soon as this summer.

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https://apnews.com/article/fema-disaster-recovery-hurricane-season-states-f3bc2c42e6c380ed33a7daf258bd37db