Aug 27 Watch 6:37 FEMA employees behind letter blasting Trump cuts placed on leave amid crackdown on dissent By Jenna Bloom, Amna Nawaz, Jackson Hudgins About two dozen FEMA employees have been placed on leave after they signed an open letter criticizing the Trump administration’s cuts and personnel decisions. The letter warns the cuts undermine the progress FEMA has made after Hurricane Katrina, a storm… Continue watching
Aug 27 Some FEMA staff are put on leave after signing dissent letter By Gabriela Aoun Angueira, Associated Press More than 180 current and former FEMA employees signed the letter sent to the FEMA Review Council and Congress on Monday critiquing recent cuts to agency staff and programs, and warning that FEMA's capacity to respond to a major disaster… Continue reading
Aug 08 Watch 6:31 Federal response to recent disasters reveals impact of Trump's changes to FEMA By Stephanie Sy, Courtney Norris Since taking office, President Trump has called for the elimination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, suggesting it could be dismantled as soon as December. Lately, his team has backed away from that idea, but there are still major changes… Continue watching
Aug 05 Trump administration cannot reallocate billions meant for disaster mitigation, federal judge rules By Jack Brook, Michael Casey, Associated Press Massachusetts and the other states that brought the lawsuit argued FEMA lacked the authority to end the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program and redirect more than $4 billion of its funding. Continue reading
Jul 14 Watch 7:23 Former FEMA head responds to praise and criticism of federal response to Texas floods By William Brangham, Courtney Norris The federal response to the flash flooding disaster in Texas has come under scrutiny. President Trump, who has called for cuts to FEMA, praised the agency during his recent visit to Texas, but did not comment on his plans for… Continue watching
Jul 12 Watch 5:18 FEMA missed major flood risks at Camp Mystic in Texas, new analysis reveals By John Yang, Andrew Corkery The search for more than 100 people still missing from the catastrophic July 4 flash floods in Texas began its second week Saturday. Officials have rejected suggestions that the calamity could have been anticipated, but an analysis by NPR and… Continue watching
Jul 12 Camp Mystic appealed to remove buildings from FEMA's 100-year flood map, records show By Ryan J. Foley, Christopher L. Keller, Jim Mustian, Associated Press Federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic's buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors, a review… Continue reading
May 30 Watch 7:44 Mississippi governor on how changes to Medicaid, disaster funding could impact his state By Amna Nawaz, Ali Schmitz As Republicans in Congress negotiate the president’s policy agenda, states are preparing for the impacts on their healthcare programs and their budgets. That includes Mississippi, where nearly 700,000 residents are enrolled in Medicaid. Amna Nawaz discussed the Trump agenda and… Continue watching
May 22 This Louisiana community preps for hurricane season as questions linger about federal storm response By Joshua Barajas “These hurricanes are coming at us faster and they’re coming for a longer time of the year. They’re producing more rain, higher winds. And they’re going to places that may never have experienced that before."… Continue reading
May 20 Watch 7:04 Spring storms spark scrutiny of FEMA as Trump overhauls and slashes the agency By William Brangham, Jonah Anderson, Azhar Merchant It's been another day of storms and tornado watches in parts of the South. For the better part of a week now, severe weather has led to major damage and deaths in its wake. As residents are beginning to dig… Continue watching