FEMA Under Threat of Shutdown Amidst Increasing Climate Disasters

Date: March 27, 2025

Meteorology Matters outlines the critical situation surrounding the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in March 2025. As the Trump administration signals its intent to eliminate the agency, FEMA is already experiencing significant internal turmoil, including stalled disaster assistance, frozen grant money, and a hiring freeze. This coincides with new data from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and CNN analysis revealing a near-record number of climate-related major disaster declarations in the US in 2024 – one every four days. The potential dismantling or significant weakening of FEMA raises serious concerns about the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to an increasing frequency and  ...