FEMA and NOAA Face Hurricane Season Without New Leaders in Place

[Jimbo101]

Snopes

The two agencies most important to predicting and managing weather-related disasters face budget cuts and temporary bosses.

The Northern Hemisphere’s 2017 hurricane season began on 1 June, and the federal agency in charge of forecasts and warnings has predicted that an “above-normal” six months could well be in store.

Despite this, NOAA does not have a leader in place as of early June 2017. Benjamin Friedman, the Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, has acted as the agency’s administrator since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on 20 January 2017.

So far, however, Trump has not nominated a permanent NOAA administrator, whose appointment will have to be confirmed in a Senate vote.

Similarly, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which oversees disaster relief in the event that state and local authorities are overwhelmed, also does not have a new director. Trump has named Brock Long, a former Director of the Emergency Management Agency in Alabama, for that position, but his nomination has not yet come before the Senate for consideration.

That agency, and the position of FEMA Director, have been subject to heightened scrutiny since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and widespread criticism of the federal response to that episode prompted something of an overhaul of procedures and methods at FEMA. A rough hurricane season, if managed poorly, could turn the spotlight on the absence of a new FEMA Director, five months after Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The President has also proposed cutting FEMA’s budget, by 11 percent. John Kelly, Secretary of Homeland Security — the department that oversees FEMA — told reporters “we’ll make do”, when questioned about the cuts, NPR reports.

[chillfactor]

1. pretty much what the recons desire...

people will die, property destroyed, people including children and elderly will suffer....the blue plate special for the recons.

[Kittycow]

3. If the trump mafia can swoop in on distressed properties

that are restored on the taxpayers' dime, it's all good.

[snowy owl]

2. Disasters create buying opportunities for the rich

'Nuf said

[Kittycow]

4. Yep..we both thought that at the same time.

[Thinkingabout]

5. trumpy is unfit and unprepared to be president. Perhaps he has not gotten the full

cooperation and loyalty of someone like Gen Honore to adequately run FEMA. Since some republicans thinks God sent trumpy, I DON'T. I am a Christian but I also prepare every year for a large hurricane since I live on the gulf coast.

[Wawannabe]

6. Collectively

We could mind bend the "coming storms" to accumulate over a few key places.

My votes:
The White House
Maralago
Any and all Trump properties.

Hey dream big baby. Mindfully of course.

[JudyM]

7. This should be a front page issue for the MSM. If only there weren't such a circus going on to

grab all the headlines.

[MiniMe]

8. I think nobody wants the job under tRump

I think why there have not been many cabinet positions and appointments like FBI director named because he can't find people who will take the job with him as President.