Top FEMA official Bob Fenton says "we're ready for hurricane season"
Summary
FEMA is preparing for the 2026 hurricane season with training exercises and staff readiness. Acting FEMA administrator Bob Fenton said the agency is ready despite recent challenges like employee losses, government shutdowns, and low disaster relief funds.Key Facts
- FEMA conducted a training exercise called "Silent Echo" to prepare for hurricane season starting June 1, 2026.
- Bob Fenton is the acting FEMA administrator and has over 30 years of emergency management experience.
- FEMA lost more than 5,000 employees since January 2025, and many leadership positions remain vacant.
- At the start of the 2025 hurricane season, only 12% of FEMA’s incident management workforce was available; current availability is around 30-40%, which is considered normal.
- FEMA has been affected by over 100 days of government shutdowns since 2025, which impacted operations.
- The Disaster Relief Fund fell below $3 billion earlier this year, restricting FEMA’s spending to urgent needs only.
- FEMA has received new funding from Congress and is working to restore its disaster recovery efforts.
- Fenton emphasized the importance of state and local governments leading recovery efforts while FEMA supports them.
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