From the WashPost: Myanmar just had ‘the big one.’ It should be a wake-up call for California.
The famed San Andreas Fault in California is nearly identical to the one that caused the destructive tremor in Myanmar, and is also overdue for an earthquake.
April 1, 2025 at 11:13 a.m. EDT
From the Wash Post: Trump Officials Consider Reducing FEMA’s Role by Oct 1.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem and others are weighing whether to strip FEMA of some of its key functions.
Important article. It concludes with citations to the most recent GAO report noted below.
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A related article from MSNBC: Trump wants FEMA gone. But that could be its own kind of disaster. It’s likely that Trump, as he so often is, is being guided by grievance.
New GAO Report: Disaster Assistance: Improving the Federal Approach
GAO-25-108216.
Very interesting report with a lot of background information on recovery.
From Homeland Security Today: FEMA Hiring Overhaul Drives Fears of Agency Dismantling As Hurricane Season Nears.
FEMA Hiring Overhaul Drives Fears of Agency Dismantling as Hurricane Season Nears
“After firing more than 200 probationary workers from the nation’s federal disaster relief agency, the Trump administration has taken its first step to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) just months ahead of hurricane season.
In an email labeled, “Hiring Update” and obtained by CBS News, FEMA informed employees on Friday night of a new hiring process that overhauls contract renewals for more than two-thirds of the agency’s workforce, requiring all employees to submit requests for further extensions to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for approval.
The decision has created confusion among the ranks of thousands of employees impacted, with fears that the new process will effectively gut the majority of FEMA’s workforce over the next two to four years by forcing employees to reapply for their jobs through the agency’s overseers at DHS.”
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As President Trump plans deep staff cuts at FEMA and works to eliminate the agency, new data shows that 2024 was one of the worst years for natural disasters. According to a new analysis from the International Institute for Environment and Development, there were 90 declarations of “major disasters” in the US last year — or one every four days. August was the worst month, with 10 major weather-related disasters active at the same time, including Hurricane Debby in Florida, severe storms in Kansas and flooding in Vermont. “We’re seeing hurricane season last longer, we’re seeing spring severe weather season get more significant and we’re seeing the fire season go year-round now,” former FEMA chief Deanne Criswell told CNN.
From NPR: Trump wants states to handle disasters. States aren’t prepared.
President Trump has signed an executive order directing state and local governments to “play a more active and significant role” in preparing for disasters. For months, Trump has said he’s considering getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the country’s disaster response arm.
“I say you don’t need FEMA, you need a good state government,” Trump said while visiting the Los Angeles fires in January. “FEMA is a very expensive, in my opinion, mostly failed situation.”
But emergency management experts say Trump’s order technically wouldn’t do much to shift responsibility. Currently, local and state governments are already in charge of disasters. The question is whether the Trump administration will begin withdrawing the federal resources and funding that states rely on.”
From FireRescue1: Congress, fire officials warn FEMA: Halting National Fire Academy training puts public safety at risk.
“Former fire administrators warn that suspending in-person NFA firefighter training weakens disaster preparedness and emergency response.”
From E&E News:
A new executive order to create a national resilience plan signals that the president wants to overhaul disaster response while maintaining a federal role.
It reads like a routine government memo that’s laden with grandiose promises.
But the little-noticed executive order released by the White House on Tuesday is perhaps the clearest signal that President Donald Trump is stepping back from his threats to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The order assured some disaster experts and officials that Trump could mean to spare the agency at a time of growing damage from extreme weather, and opt instead to overhaul the nation’s response to disasters.
Recovery Diva 