‘Unaware of American hurricane season’: US disaster agency FEMA chief tells staff | World News

The staff of the American disaster management authority, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was left perplexed after its chief reportedly said he wasn’t aware about the hurricane season in US, Reuters reported, quoting four sources familiar with the matter.
The remarks were made FEMA head David Richardson, who has led the US disaster agency since early May, but the staff wasn’t clear if Richardson meant it literally, as a joke, or in some other context.
According to reports, the hurricane season officially began in the US from Sunday onwards and would last till November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminration has forecast last week that this season is poised to bring at least 10 hurricanes in America.

And I’m unaware of why he hasn’t been fired yet. pic.twitter.com/gnzVVOkJol
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 2, 2025
However, in a clarification issued FEMA’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security’s spokesperson said the comment was a joke and that FEMA is prepared for hurricane season.
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The Spokesperson added “Under Homeland Security Secretary Kri Noem and Richardson, FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens,” Reuters reported.

During the briefing, Richardson told FEMA staff that there would be no changes to the agency’s disaster response plans despite earlier saying that the plans of FEMA could change and the staff should expect a new plan in May.
Sharing the Reuters news report on X, Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer took a jibe at the FEMA chief Richardson and wrote “unaware of why he hasn’t been fired yet.”
Senior Democrat and Representative Bennie Thompson issued a statement saying, “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.”Story continues below this ad
The report of Richardson’s comments come amid concern over departure of senior level FEMA officials, staff cuts and a reduction in hurricane preparation.
(with inputs from Reuters)