US President Donald Trump on Sunday issued an executive order to establish a review council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), just days after saying he was considering ‘getting rid of’ the central organisation which responds to disasters, even calling it a ‘very big disappointment.’
Donald Trump made the remarks while on a visit to North Carolina and California, hit by hurricane and wildfires, respectively.
Here’s all you need to know bout FEMA:
1. The Federal Emergency Management Agency was officially implemented in April 1979 by two executive orders of the then-President Jimmy Carter. It comes under the Department of Homeland Security.
2. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the capital city, FEMA responds to a disaster in the United States when the resources of local and state authorities are overwhelmed. It brings in emergency personnel, supplies and equipment to stricken areas.
3. The agency’s workforce of 20,000 people can swell to more than 50,000 active members. There are 10 regional offices and it has the capacity to coordinate resources from across the federal government.
4. FEMA says it is currently supporting 108 major disasters and 10 emergency declarations. According to its daily operations briefing, 17% of its disaster-response workforce is available.
5. The disaster response organisation gets its funding from the US Congress. In December 2024, it got $29 billion from the Congress to fund ongoing relief efforts.
6. Over the years, FEMA has been the target of many ‘falsehoods,’ prompting it to set up a rumour response page on its website.
7. Donald Trump has accused the agency of ‘bungling’ emergency relief efforts in North Carolina, hit by Hurricane Helene in September last year.
8. The US President has suggested that instead, states be given federal money to handle disasters themselves.
9. Currently, FEMA is headed by an interim director: former US Navy Seal Cameron Hamilton, a Trump appointee.
10. Reacting to the President’s criticism, Hamilton, in a letter to staff, called the organisation a ‘critical agency which performs an essential mission in support of our national security.’
(with Reuters inputs)
