Folks impacted by the wildfires search data and reduction at a FEMA Catastrophe Restoration Heart in 2025, in Pasadena, Calif. The chief of FEMA’s prime catastrophe response coordination workplace has resigned, as President Trump strikes to get rid of the company.
Etienne Laurent/AP
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Etienne Laurent/AP
The chief of the nation’s prime catastrophe coordination workplace has resigned, the most recent high-level official to resign from the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA), as President Trump strikes to get rid of the company.
Jeremy Greenberg led the Nationwide Response Coordination Heart at FEMA since 2020. He resigned final week, he confirmed to NPR.
The highest FEMA place is at the moment held by an interim chief, David Richardson, who has no prior emergency administration expertise. After he was put in in Could, Reuters reported greater than a dozen prime FEMA staff resigned.
Greenberg’s resignation additional hobbles the company, because the U.S. enters its busiest season for excessive climate disasters together with hurricanes, floods and wildfires. As local weather change is inflicting extra extreme climate throughout the nation.
The Nationwide Response Coordination Heart acts like air visitors management for first responders after a hurricane, twister, flood, wildfire, earthquake or different nationwide emergency. It is a essential function, as a result of responding to lethal disasters requires gear, staff and experience from a number of federal companies and from state and native governments.
For instance, when Hurricane Helene barreled ashore final yr, tens of millions of individuals throughout a number of states had been below evacuation orders. Greenberg’s group was activated three days earlier than the storm made landfall, in line with Congressional testimony by then-FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell.
The middle saved monitor of the place FEMA staff and gear had been prepositioned earlier than the storm arrived, how different companies just like the Military Corps of Engineers and Division of Transportation had been responding, the place emergency shelters had been situated and what number of first responders had been deployed to assist in every affected place.
Greenberg instructed NPR he’ll proceed to work at FEMA for 2 extra weeks, and referred all different inquiries to FEMA leaders. The company didn’t reply to questions from NPR about who would lead its catastrophe coordination workplace after Greenberg departs.
President Trump says he intends to get rid of FEMA as quickly as December of this yr, and he has appointed a council of governors, cupboard members and emergency administration specialists to advocate modifications to the company by mid-November.
