Acting Head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told staff members on Thursday that he was sure that President Donald Trump was a brave person with a brave vision for the agency – but Fema did not yet have a full plan to handle the storm season.
“I will say we are around 80 or 85% there,” FEMA Acting Administrator David Richardson told staff at the conference call, part of ABC obtained. “The following week, we will close the gap and reach possible 97-98% of a plan. We will never have 100% of a plan. Even if we have 100% of a plan, a plan never survived the first contact. However, we will do our best to ensure that the plan includes everything.”
The conference call came after the internal document prepared to Richardson when he took the leader of the agent responsible for managing the federal disaster indicated that the agent was not ready for the upcoming storm season, which began on June 1.
“When Fema turns into a smaller trace, the intention for this storm season is not well understood, so Fema is not ready,” according to the document, obtained by ABC News.
Acting Administrator Fema Richardson hosted the meeting with the agency’s leadership in preparation for the storm season, May 12, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Graham Haynes/Fema
In the conference call, Richardson said he and the staff sat for “about 90 minutes” and began to make plans for this year’s disaster season.
He said his plan would soon be ready.
“Listen carefully: The intention for the 2025 season (is) protects the American people, restores the superiority to the state, strengthening their ability to respond and restore, and coordinate federal assistance when deemed necessary, while turning into the Fema Female,” Richardson said.
Richardson was placed in FEMA by the Secretary of the Department of Domestic Security Kristi Noem after the former Acting Administrator Cam Hamilton was fired last week because of his testimony in front of a DPR panel, according to a source who is familiar with the problem, which is contrary to the closing of the agency.
Administrator Acting said the FEMA version would look different from past agents.
“The purpose of the President for Fema is to ensure that Fema only does things in the law that must be done,” he said during the conference call, adding a “big push” to get resources to the state.
“You can imagine it makes Fema look very, very different. What will be in the end, we will find out,” he told the staff. “Remember, the brave male president. The president has a brave vision, he made a brave statement.”
Previous documents on agency storm planning said that the limitations of staffing, recruitment and lack of coordination with countries would also have an impact on FEMA operations towards the storm season.
A spokesman for the Department of Domestic Security told ABC News before that the information in the document was “very outside the context.”
“You refer to a row on the nineteen -page sliding deck and the opinion is not based on one official in the agency,” said a DHS spokesman. “This slide is used during the daily meeting of Acting Administrator David Richardson has been held every day entitled Problem Solving the Storm Complex. In other words, exactly what should be done by the Head of Emergency Management Agents before the storm season. This is only another example of a clear lead and fence for people who do not care about the American secretary.
At the meeting of all his first hand last week, Richardson told employees not to obstruct his way when he tried to achieve the president’s goals, a source told ABC News.
“Don’t prevent me if you are 20% of those people,” he told employees last Friday morning, according to sources with knowledge of the meeting. “I know all the tricks.”
“Confusion. Delay. Damaging. If you are one of 20% of people and you think that tactics and techniques will help you, they will not because I will run right above you,” he said, according to sources with knowledge about the meeting. “I will achieve the President’s intention. I want to achieve the President’s intention as I am ensuring that I did a task when I brought my Marine to Iraq.”
Morals in Fema have been sinking since Noem said he would eliminate the agency, according to sources within the agency.
Noem was pressed during the house panel on Wednesday about whether he had a plan to eliminate Fema. He said he had no plans, but said the White House would advance with plans.
“There is no final plan that is formalized for how this advances, because the congress input is very important,” he told Rep. Bennie Thompson.
CNN first reported internal review documents.