The Trump administration is undoing emergency response systems introduced in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, concerned FEMA staffers have warned. In a letter to Congress, Federal Emergency Management Agency employees sounded the alarm over the stripping back of federal infrastructure and resources, much of which was introduced to help prepare the U.S. for future disasters. Hurricane Katrina killed an estimated 1,833 people and cost the nation $201.3 billion, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. In a letter called “Katrina Declaration,” the FEMA workers said, according to The New York Times, “Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration.” In a statement to the Daily Beast, FEMA’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, rebuffed the claims, saying: “FEMA is fully prepared for Hurricane Season. This Administration is cutting the bloat and turning FEMA into a lean, deployable, disaster force that cuts through bureaucracy.”
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