FEMA’s acting administrator is replaced a day later

An Update on the Interior Department’s Office of Emergency Management and Disaster Response, which President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on March 24th, 2017

According to a statement from the agency, the acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, has been replaced. The move comes at a time of turmoil for FEMA, after President Trump has said repeatedly that the country’s primary disaster response agency should be eliminated.

The abrupt change came the day after Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL who held the job for the last few months, testified on Capitol Hill that he did not agree with proposals to dismantle an organization that helps plan for natural disasters and distributes financial assistance.

At the Congressional hearing on Wednesday, Hamilton called for the threshold for federal involvement to be raised because of a focus on state responsibility that Trump signed an executive order on. Trump has also appointed a review council to make recommendations for the future of FEMA.

David Richardson is a Former Marine Corps officer who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. He does not seem to have any experience with disasters. The assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security is in charge of fighting weapons of mass destruction.

According to the Homeland Security, last month, Trump created a review council to “reforming” the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system.

FEMA needs reform, but its core goal is to “focus on survivors,” as testified by Hamilton just a day before.

Hamilton said he did not believe FEMA should be eliminated, when he was asked by a Democrat how he felt about it.

“Having said that,” Hamilton continued, “I’m not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination such as consequential as that should be made. The president of the United States should have a conversation with the governing body.

Is Your Job Worth It? How FEMA Can Help Us Prepare for Hurricanes, Wildfires, and Extraordinary Disasters During the Trump Era

“President Trump fires anyone who is not blindly loyal to him,” DeLauro said in a statement. If integrity and morality cost you your job, it says more about your employer than it does you.

The Atlantic hurricanes season will start in three weeks, and the summer wildfire season will start in June as the agency enters its most demanding time of year.

More than 200 FEMA employees were fired by the Trump Administration in February and hundreds more have indicated they’re planning on leaving the agency by accepting deferred resignation offers. Disaster experts say it could hamper FEMA’s work this summer, when the agency relies on its entire staff to respond to disasters.

There are changes at FEMA that you would like to let the public know about. Reach out to this reporter by using an app called Signal.

Many states say they currently don’t have the staff or resources to take on more disaster response. Major disasters, like Hurricane Helene last year, require thousands of employees to find survivors, set up shelters and process requests for disaster assistance. As the climate gets hotter, there is an increase in the number of disasters that cause more than $1 billion in damage.