“This is where FEMA and the federal government have got to step in; Our city cannot shoulder this alone, the state of Missouri cannot shoulder this alone; this is what the Federal Government is for. .”
The Independent reports: “Missouri officials are calling on the federal government for help after a tornado tore through St. Louis last week, killing five people and damaging thousands of structures throughout the region.“We need partners at the national level, at the federal level, to step up and help — and this is not just true for St. Louis,” city Mayor Cara Spencer told MSNBC on Monday. “Cities across the nation, when they are experiencing disasters such as this, this is what the federal government is for.” Spencer said she is pleading with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help. “FEMA has not been on the ground,” she added. “We do not have confirmed assistance from FEMA at this point.”
According to AP, “U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, expressed frustration over the federal response to a deadly March storm. “I’m not happy about the fact we’re still waiting from all of that damage two months ago,” Hawley said.
Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief David Richardson said last week he plans to shift responsibility for disaster recovery to states this year as part of an agencywide transformation and that FEMA would coordinate federal assistance “when deemed necessary.”
PBS adds, “In Mississippi, nearly 20 tornadoes tore through the state on March 14 and 15, leaving seven people dead and hundreds of homes destroyed or damaged. Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves asked the Trump administration for a major disaster declaration on April 1. The state, and residents like Lowery, are still waiting.
“Mississippi’s request comes at a time of upheaval for FEMA. The agency’s acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, was recently ousted after he publicly disagreed with proposals to dismantle FEMA, an idea President Donald Trump has floated in calling the agency “very bureaucratic” and “very slow.” Another Acting Administrator (David Richardson) was appointed.”
During a congressional hearing in early May, Republican Mississippi Rep. Michael Guest asked U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, to push forward the request. Republican Mississippi U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also asked Noem about FEMA assistance and the administration’s new approach to the agency:
“President Trump has been very clear that he believes that the way that FEMA exists today should not continue,” Noem responded. “He wants to make sure that those reforms are happening where states are empowered to do the response and trained and equipped, and then the federal government would come in and support them and financially be there when they need them on their worst day.”
In addition to FEMA, Inside Climate News reports concerns about the National Weather Service and early warning systems dismantled as a result of Trump’s cuts.
Over the weekend and through Monday, devastating tornadoes, storms and hail slammed parts of the Midwestern and Southern United States, killing more than 25 people and razing dozens of homes.
The storm system poses the first major spring weather stress test for the National Weather Service, which has faced widespread layoffs and program cuts under the Trump administration. Since President Donald Trump was elected, nearly 600 people have left the NWS through a combination of firings and retirements, equivalent to around 10 percent of the agency’s total staff. This has left some regions significantly understaffed ahead of one of the deadliest extreme weather seasons of the year.
NBC notes the statement issued by the administration in response to complaints about shortages at the NWS, “In a statement, the weather service said it wouldn’t discuss internal personnel and management matters. It acknowledged that it was juggling staffing concerns. “We continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission,” the statement said. “The National Weather Service is adjusting some services due to temporary staffing changes at our local forecast offices throughout the country in order to best meet the needs of the public, our partners and stakeholders in each office’s local area. Work is underway to restore services at local forecast offices around the country.”
