DHS says FEMA head was joking when he said he wasn’t aware of hurricane season

Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator David Richardson was joking when he said at a meeting Monday that he was not aware of the upcoming hurricane season, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

Reuters reported that Richardson said at a briefing that he was not aware the United States has a hurricane season, confusing staffers. The report, which said it was unclear if Richardson was serious or joking, cited four unnamed sources familiar with the situation.

“Despite meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy, there is no uncertainty about what FEMA will be doing this Hurricane Season. FEMA is laser focused on disaster response, and protecting the American people,” a spokesperson for DHS said. The spokesperson added that Richardson is “activated in preparation for Hurricane Season.”

Richardson took the reins at FEMA last month. The previous acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, was removed from his job after he told lawmakers at a congressional hearing that he did not believe the agency should be eliminated. DHS has denied that Hamilton’s ouster was related to his testimony.

FEMA is responsible for coordinating the government’s emergency response to areas affected by natural disasters, such as hurricanes. Hurricane season runs from June through November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted there is a 60% chance of an above-normal season this year, during which the United States could get six to 10 hurricanes, three to five of which could be “major.”

Democrats blasted Richardson following the report about the meeting.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., referred to the Reuters report when he wrote on X, “And I’m unaware of why he hasn’t been fired yet.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also took aim at Richardson, writing on X, “Bare minimum requirement for the leader of FEMA: know when hurricane season is.”

President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly floated the idea of terminating the emergency disaster agency.

During a visit to North Carolina in January to survey the damage of Hurricane Helene, which swept across the state late last year, Trump suggested overhauling or doing away with FEMA, calling it “very bureaucratic” and “very slow.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also suggested that FEMA should be eliminated. But without an alternative plan and with hurricane season approaching, Noem has also quietly made efforts to keep the agency running, sources familiar with the situation have told NBC News.