Washington, D.C. — Today, the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was replaced after he broke from the members of the administration calling for an end to FEMA. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called to dismantle FEMA. This comes on the heels of countless federal government cuts to climate adaptation and response resources, clean energy infrastructure, and steps to expand the fossil fuel industry.
JL Andrepont, U.S. Senior Policy Analyst, 350.org, responds:
“Only one day after experts forecasted another harrowing hurricane season likely to start in a matter of weeks, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is calling to end the agency that supports communities in the wake of these climate disasters. And she is firing the administrators who disagree with her. The Gulf South region, overwhelmingly populated by Black and Brown and low-income people, has been left chronically under-resourced and forced to bear the brunt of climate chaos in the U.S. But now the Gulf South will have to stare down one of its most dangerous times of the year — threatening homes, businesses, incomes, and lives — knowing the federal government wants to turn their back on them entirely.
What kind of devastation are we going to see if there’s another Hurricane Katrina and there’s no FEMA to support the communities impacted by fossil-fueled climate disasters? Every time they cut another critical resource, it bears repeating: they are staring at a fire they set, turning off the water, and shutting down the fire department.”