FEMA Publishes ‘Katrina Declaration’ On Storm’s 20th Anniversary

The Trump administration’s handling of FEMA has been met with criticism from both victims of recent climate events and staffers who’ve worked at the agency for decades. As we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, 180 current and former FEMA employees signed a letter of dissent warning that the changes the Trump administration has made at the agency make another tragedy like Katrina more likely. 

According to AP News, FEMA’s letter, titled the “FEMA Katrina Declaration,” was published on Monday and directed toward the FEMA Review Council. “Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration,” the letter states.

Twenty years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans, causing devastating floods, billions in property damage, and the deaths of 1,893 people. FEMA’s response effort during and after Katrina was widely criticized for being disorganized and inefficient. Hurricane Katrina exposed how unprepared FEMA was to handle such a devastating climate event, leading to Congress passing the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA) of 2006.

PKEMRA established FEMA as an independent agency within the Department of Homeland Security, set up 12 regional offices throughout the country with their own director, and implemented several organizational reforms to ensure that the failures of Hurricane Katrina don’t happen again. “Two decades later, FEMA is enacting processes and leadership structures that echo the conditions PKEMRA was designed to prevent,” the letter reads. 

The letter outlines six “statements of opposition,” including a mandate from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that she has to personally approve any FEMA expenditure over $100,000. The letter also opposes FEMA resources being redirected toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and calls for a qualified director to be appointed to the agency. President Donald Trump installed David Richardson as FEMA’s acting director in May, even though he has no prior experience in disaster management. 

President Trump campaigned on overhauling FEMA, though in execution, it appears as if the Trump administration is effectively trying to dismantle the organization. Trump has stated his goal is for states to take over disaster management, but many of the Red states, which are often impacted by climate disasters, don’t have the funding or resources necessary to handle disaster management on their own.

The Trump administration’s changes at FEMA were put to the test in July when Kerr County, Texas, was hit with devastating floods that killed over 100 people. It took FEMA several days to send a response team, and flood survivors reported their calls to FEMA going unanswered as a result of Secretary Noem’s spending mandate. Ken Pagurek, the former chief of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue team, resigned after the Texas floods, citing frustration with how the Trump administration has hampered FEMA’s ability to do its job. 

Pagruek was not alone in leaving FEMA as a result of the Trump administration. One-third of the agency’s workforce has either quit or been fired this year, with concerns rising that the loss of so many experienced leaders in critical positions severely hampers FEMA’s ability to effectively mitigate and respond to devastating climate events like the Texas floods. 

FEMA’s letter ultimately calls for the agency to be made an independent, cabinet-level organization. Of the 180 people who signed the letter, only 35 actually signed their names. The remaining said they chose to remain anonymous due to “the culture of fear and suppression cultivated by this administration.”

Like clockwork, the Trump administration proved the letter’s point this week as some FEMA workers have said they’ve been put on leave after signing the open letter. 

SEE ALSO:

FEMA Spending $608M To Build Immigrant Detention Centers

Mass Exodus Of FEMA Leadership Ahead Of Hurricane Season

North Carolina Denied Hurricane Relief Amid Changes At FEMA