180 FEMA veterans warn Trump cuts risk Katrina-level disasters

Over 180 current and former FEMA employees issued a Katrina Declaration to Congress on Aug. 25, 2025. They warned that Trump's policies could cause a Hurricane Katrina-scale disaster by systematically destroying the federal emergency response capacity.

Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson admitted during a May 2025 staff briefing that he didn't know the United States has an annual hurricane season running from Jun. to Nov.. The admission shocked experienced emergency management professionals who depend on seasonal preparedness.

Richardson has zero disaster management experience. He previously served as a Marine artillery officer and a DHS weapons specialist with no training in emergency response, flood management, wildfire suppression, or hurricane preparation protocols.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's personal approval requirement for contracts over $100,000 delayed Urban Search and Rescue team deployment to the Jul. 4-7, 2025 🤠Texas flooding by 72 hours. The catastrophic flooding killed 135 people across central Texas, with delays hampering life-saving federal response.

About 2,000 FEMA full-time employees—a third of the permanent workforce—have left the agency since Trump's inauguration. The exodus happened through hiring freezes, budget cuts, and voluntary reduction programs that eliminated decades of disaster expertise.

NOAA predicts an above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season with 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes, and 3-5 major hurricanes. Meanwhile, FEMA operates with a skeleton crew and inexperienced leadership during the peak emergency response period.

The Trump administration eliminated Community Emergency Response Team funding, National Fire Academy training programs, and hazard mitigation grants. These programs provided state and local disaster preparedness capabilities nationwide.

FEMA veterans specifically warn against dissolving the agency itself. Trump and DHS Secretary Noem advocate for eliminating federal emergency management capacity during a climate crisis that requires coordinated national response.