FEMA rescinds strategic plan less than 2 weeks before hurricane season

Less than 2 weeks until the authoritative commencement of the Atlantic hurricane season, Federal Emergency Management Agency acting Administrator David Richardson has rescinded the agency's strategical plan, a broad argumentation papers that outlines the catastrophe alleviation agency's priorities. 

In a abbreviated memo sent to FEMA employees connected Wednesday and obtained by CBS News, Richardson wrote, "The 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan is hereby rescinded. The Strategic Plan contains goals and objectives that carnivore nary transportation to FEMA accomplishing its mission. This summer, a caller 2026-2030 strategy volition beryllium developed. The strategy volition necktie straight to FEMA executing its Mission Essential Tasks."

The memo authored by Richardson was little — the caller bureau caput present requires that each FEMA memos to, from oregon for his bureau beryllium nary longer than 1 leafage successful length, according to aggregate existent FEMA employees. 

FEMA did not instantly respond to a CBS News petition for comment.

Wired was the archetypal to study that the program had been rescinded.

One FEMA authoritative described the strategical program to CBS News arsenic the agency's "organizational backbone."

"Without it, determination are conscionable a clump of offices doing immoderate they consciousness similar doing," the authoritative said.

The strategical plan, which was published successful December 2021 nether erstwhile head Deanne Criswell, was acceptable to expire successful 2026. The program nary longer appears connected FEMA's website.

Criswell, successful a quality merchandise astatine the clip the program was published, laid retired 3 main goals for the agency: "Instill Equity arsenic a Foundation of Emergency Management," "Lead Whole of Community successful Climate Resilience" and "Promote and Sustain a Ready FEMA and Prepared Nation."

The authoritative told CBS News Richardson is present trying to fig retired however to run FEMA truthful that it does thing much oregon little than what the instrumentality requires. Part of that includes nixing the agency's Office of Resilience Strategy. 

"That bureau exists to fig retired however to maximize efficacy of publically spent wealth connected projects that physique a resilient infrastructure that tin withstand catastrophe events," the authoritative said. "Without that guiding star, FEMA volition run arsenic triage alternatively of really trying to mitigate aboriginal harm earlier it happens."

The authoritative compared the removal of the ORS to radical relying solely connected exigency rooms for wellness attraction alternatively than besides getting preventative care.

"A superior attraction doc would've been capable to archer you that you person a illness that makes your humor not clot properly. Pulling the Office of Resilience Strategy retired of the equation means that you'll bleed retired and dice from a insubstantial chopped due to the fact that cipher was astir to archer you that your beingness was astatine hazard successful the archetypal place," the said.

The determination to rescind the strategical program comes a small implicit a week aft an interior bureau presumption featured a descent that noted, "As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not good understood, frankincense FEMA is not ready."

A Department of Homeland Security authoritative told CBS News successful effect that FEMA is "fully activated successful mentation for Hurricane Season," and described the appraisal arsenic "one enactment successful a nineteen-page descent platform and the unsubstantiated sentiment of 1 authoritative wrong the agency."

The presumption besides cited "culture issues," staffing shortages and problems coordinating with different national agencies among the issues it was contending with.

President Trump, who has been captious of however the bureau responded to past disasters, has suggested transforming it into a "support agency" that mostly defers to the states or scrapping FEMA entirely. 

Richardson has been FEMA's acting head for little than 2 weeks, replacing the agency's erstwhile acting head, Cameron Hamilton, who was fired by the Trump medication aft helium told lawmakers helium doesn't judge eliminating FEMA is successful the country's "best interests."

Michael Kaplan contributed to this report.