The Atlantic hurricane season is less than two weeks away, as folks along the Gulf Coast begin their preparations for whatever comes their way. Last season gave local Houstonians Hurricane Beryl, but it also produced the devastating Hurricane Helene on the East Coast. That storm left millions in the dark, left many people homeless, and the areas near Asheville, North Carolina have still yet to recover.

Back then, FEMA was blasted for not helping the victims enough and showed a general lack of preparation for such a catastrophic event. There were then reports that came out saying FEMA was out of money and was ill-prepared if another hurricane hit the coast. Well, in 2025, that appears to be the same song and dance, with a new internal assessment showing FEMA is not prepared for hurricane season.

The report from acting administrator David Richardson says there are major gaps in FEMA's preparedness. They range from poor coordination with states, to staff morale issues, to a lack of training progress. It is a less-than-ideal report to get just 12 days away from the start of the season.

Emergency preparedness expert Mark Herrera says there will be plenty of things that FEMA is ready for, and systems are a-go in a few places. But the coordination will be critical in making sure response is both timely and effective.

"We have to be mindful there are post-storm recovery phases in place...that is why it is so important to have a coordinated effort with FEMA and emergency management," he says.

Just in the last four decades, Houston has had 52 federally declared disasters, with a third happening in the last decade. On average, that shakes out to about 1.7 major events per year.

FEMA still has plenty of systems ready to go, in case a disaster does strike somewhere in the U.S. But the idea they are out of money is not a far-fetched notion. They have struggled financially under the Biden Administration's wasteful spending, and to be fair, wasteful spending across decades.

While there is plenty in place that is ready, there are still vital pieces of the puzzle that need to be done to ensure a coordinated response.

"The importance of integrating FEMA guidance and tools like the National Incident Management System (NIMS) into emergency operation plans, that is important," says Herrera. "We have always relied on that, and the continuity of operations."

He adds that to stay prepared, we have to acknowledge the risk and get out ahead of the curve.

Hurricane season begins June 1st.

Jimmy Barrett

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