The former top official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency is warning that the country is moving backward in its ability to handle a major natural disaster as the nation marks two decades since Hurricane Katrina, the costliest storm in U.S. history.
“I fear that we're forgetting these lessons and the further we get away from these catastrophic events, the more we forget how significant and how impactful they were,” said Deanne Criswell, who served as FEMA’s administrator from 2021 to 2025.
She joined current and former elected officials, along with medical experts from Florida, on an online conference call Monday to talk about the impact of President Donald Trump’s massive funding cuts to FEMA.
READ MORE: It was the costliest hurricane in U.S. history: Have we forgotten Katrina's lessons?
The Trump has eliminated billions of dollars in FEMA grants meant to prepare communities for disasters like hurricanes and major storms. Trump also installed David Richardson — a former Homeland Security official — as FEMA’s acting administrator, though he does not have emergency management experience.
The administration has defended its actions, saying it is eliminating red tape and looking to make FEMA more efficient.
Other proposed cost-cutting measures include shuttering the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hurricane research center in Miami.
Darren McAuley, a flight surgeon and Veterans Affairs doctor who serves as medical advisor to the Florida Air National Guard, said cuts to disaster preparedness programs put lives at risk in the aftermath of major storms in Florida.
“We need to be very clear that FEMA cuts will have a direct impact on the health, wellbeing, and medical care of our neighbors and our communities,” McAuley said. “With these types of cuts, there will be lives lost. There will be people who cannot make it to the hospital.”
McAuley is running as a Democrat against U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee in Tampa.
He pointed out that many health consequences for Floridians come after a storm, when clean water isn’t readily available and perishable medications can expire without refrigeration.
State Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, spoke on the letter from FEMA employees and the concerns they raised.
“One hundred eighty FEMA employees are issuing a letter stating that they are concerned about the inadequate dealings of the folks who are in charge, and they are worried that FEMA is not prepared to handle any type of massive storms similar to what took place in regards to Katrina … So we must demand change. We deserve better than this.” Nixon said.
Criswell, the former FEMA administrator, said she’s hopeful that the President’s FEMA Review Council can issue recommendations to make FEMA more efficient while still assisting communities before, during and after a disaster so the destruction seen along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina won’t be seen again.
Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana, on On Aug. 29, 2005, breaching levees and spurring floods that devastated New Orleans. The costliest storm in U.S. history, Katrina caused nearly 1,400 deaths and an estimated $200 billion in damages.
