FEMA reverses job cuts ahead of hurricane season and World Cup
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Apr 30
FEMA reverses job cuts ahead of hurricane season and World Cup
14 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Apr 30
The agency reinstated 14 workers who signed the Katrina Declaration and began calling back disaster staff dismissed in January, after about 200 temporary workers were not renewed.
Spokeswoman Victoria Barton said FEMA was stabilizing its workforce under new leadership, while unions had sued over the earlier dismissals as violating the agency's disaster-readiness obligations.
The reversals unwind cuts overseen by former homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired last month, as FEMA prepares for June hurricane season and major World Cup matches across North America.
As FEMA scrambles to rehire staff, can it rebuild its lost expertise in time for the next major disaster?
Do the recent staffing crises at FEMA signal a need to rethink America's entire approach to national disaster management?