{"id":42131,"date":"2025-05-11T19:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T00:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=42131"},"modified":"2025-05-11T21:04:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T02:04:01","slug":"fema-cuts-emergency-training-under-trump-as-hurricane-season-looms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/?p=42131","title":{"rendered":"FEMA cuts emergency training under Trump as hurricane season looms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Summary<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Training cutbacks could leave storm-prone communities less prepared for hurricane season<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Trump restrictions on FEMA travel and speaking engagements forces training online<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\">National Hurricane Conference obliged to cancel FEMA-led sessions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) &#8211; The U.S. federal disaster agency FEMA has sharply reduced training for state and local emergency managers ahead of the start of the hurricane season on June 1, according to current and former officials, memos seen by Reuters, and three sources familiar with the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The training cutbacks could leave storm-prone communities less prepared to handle the often devastating aftermath of hurricanes, the sources and some of the current and former officials warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Leading&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/environment\/colorado-state-researchers-forecast-above-average-2025-hurricane-season-2025-04-03\/\"><u>forecasters predict<\/u><\/a>&nbsp;a busier-than-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, with 17 named tropical storms, including nine hurricanes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">If state directors and local emergency managers are not briefed on the federal government&#8217;s latest tools and resources, it will impact their ability to prepare for and warn communities of impending storms, said Deanne Criswell, who headed FEMA during President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some 2,000&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/what-is-fema-us-emergency-agency-under-fire-trump-2025-01-27\/\"><u>FEMA<\/u><\/a>&nbsp;employees &#8211; or about a third of full-time staff &#8211; have been fired or accepted incentives to quit since President Donald Trump took office in January and declared that the agency should be abolished and its functions handed over to the states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Trump&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/acting-fema-chief-abruptly-ousted-ahead-us-hurricane-season-2025-05-08\/\"><u>fired<\/u><\/a>&nbsp;FEMA&#8217;s acting chief, Cameron Hamilton, a day after Hamilton told lawmakers that the agency should be preserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Hamilton&#8217;s successor, David Richardson, told FEMA employees on Friday that he would &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/fema-head-says-he-will-run-right-over-staff-who-resist-agency-changes-2025-05-09\/\"><u>run right over<\/u><\/a>&#8221; any staff opposed to his implementation of Trump&#8217;s vision for a smaller agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ONLINE TRAINING<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">FEMA&#8217;s National Hurricane Program and the National Hurricane Center typically conduct in-person workshops and presentations for state and local emergency officials each spring to help them prepare for hurricane season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">These training sessions are used to share the latest data on hurricane modeling, build relationships between local, state and FEMA officials to improve coordination on disaster preparedness and relief, and review evacuation routes and other planning measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Relationship building is critical for coordination in the event of a storm, according to three emergency managers and experts. Some planned hurricane training sessions and workshops have been moved online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">FEMA, which is overseen by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, confirmed the training cutbacks in a statement to Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;At the direction of President Trump and Secretary Noem, we&#8217;re done offering duplicate trainings that promote waste, fraud and abuse and that are not a good use of American taxpayers,&#8221; the statement said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The National Hurricane Program continues to deliver readiness trainings ahead of the 2025 Hurricane Season to emergency managers nationwide with virtual trainings.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Steve Still, the emergency manager for New Hanover County, a hurricane hotspot on North Carolina&#8217;s Atlantic Coast, said online training, while useful, was less effective than in-person events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;If there&#8217;s any practical applications or exercises, you need in-person training,&#8221; Still said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the reduced training, emergency management officials in North Carolina and Louisiana &#8211; states regularly battered by hurricanes &#8211; told Reuters they have FEMA-certified trainers on staff who can lead in-person disaster training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;FEMA courses have continued as planned in the state without issue,&#8221; said Justin J. Graney, a spokesman for North Carolina Emergency Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Since February 5, FEMA staff have been barred from travel unrelated to disaster deployment and other limited purposes. Since early March, staff must have their speaking engagements and presentation materials approved by the Office of External Affairs and Office of Chief Counsel, according to two internal memos seen by Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Few speaking requests have been approved, leading the National Hurricane Program to cancel some trainings for emergency managers in storm-prone areas or move them online, according to a source familiar with the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Organizers of April&#8217;s National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans canceled several FEMA-led sessions &#8211; including one aimed at helping emergency managers make evacuation decisions during hurricanes &#8211; after FEMA staff dropped out due to the travel restrictions, said John Wilson, chairman of the conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson said the director of the National Hurricane Center usually speaks at the conference about lessons learned from past hurricane season and shares forecasting model updates, but did not this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It was kind of bizarre to have a National Hurricane Conference without the National Hurricane Center director opening it up,&#8221; Wilson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">NHC Director Michael Brennan said in a statement that he did not attend the conference due to travel restrictions but noted that the center recently organized a virtual course with 500 participants. He said the NHC&#8217;s &#8220;dialogue with partners continues and remains unchanged.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>CONCERNS<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Lynn Budd, president of the National Emergency Management Association, an organization of state emergency managers, and director of the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, said states need more time and resources if they are expected to make up for cuts to FEMA staff and activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;There is room to reduce the footprint of FEMA in their regular deployment activities, but there is also expertise provided by FEMA for state and local jurisdictions that the states simply don\u2019t have at this time,&#8221; Budd said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">NEMA would not comment specifically on the reduced trainings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The lack of training sessions at disaster preparedness conferences leaves state and local emergency managers more vulnerable to inaccurate or inadequate advice ahead of the storm season, said Bryan Koon, the former head of Florida\u2019s Division of Emergency Management who now heads a disaster preparedness consultancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;These conferences are really important, because lots of FEMA trainings are normally done at them,&#8221; Koon said. &#8220;That\u2019s one of the critical things \u2013 new information is released to state and local emergency managers.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">If local emergency managers are not trained in new forecasting models, for example, then there might be critical information the public won&#8217;t get ahead of a hurricane, Koon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/environment\/fema-cuts-emergency-training-hurricane-season-looms-2025-05-11\/\">reuters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) &#8211; The U.S. federal disaster agency FEMA has sharply reduced training for state and local emergency managers ahead of the start of the hurricane season on June 1, according to current and former officials, memos seen by Reuters, and three sources familiar with the situation. The training cutbacks could leave [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":42134,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[33236,21812,21395,1230],"class_list":["post-42131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-emergency-training","tag-fema","tag-hurricane","tag-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42131"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42135,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42131\/revisions\/42135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/42134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ustower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}