r/EmergencyManagement • u/FEMA_1_Team_1_Fight • Jun 08 '25

FEMA FEMA at 'high risk' — internal memo

https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/fema-high-risk-disaster-relief-internal-memo

For staffers who remain at FEMA, the frustration builds by the day. “FEMA employees want to be ready for hurricane season and meet the needs of the mission, but the staffing cuts and uncertainty have removed or driven away loads of talent and institutional knowledge,” one staffer told me. They described an environment with extremely low morale where employees feel like they could be fired at any moment.

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u/34Bard Jun 08 '25

High probability of a 1 -2 punch this summer. I work with FEMA every day and the ranks are decimated, the moral Is abysmal, and leadership lacks understanding and the programatic experience to do anything but fail.

Best case is that it dominates the news cycle for a few weeks and dominates the news cycle.

FEMA always had room for improvement, and Bidens decision to make funding decisions based on things the Stafford Act prohibited was terrible policy. But whats to come is going to be an absolute national embarrassment.

38

u/BlatantBarBar Federal Jun 08 '25

FEMA employee here, can re-emphasize the “abysmal moral” by adding that every week, our call with our chief ends in “Brush up those resumes and look for other opportunities, I can’t guarantee any of us will still have a job in the coming months.”

Just grinds you down.

6

u/DitchWitch_PNW Jun 08 '25

Deployed to FL? Sounds like our lead every week at the end of our meeting. I will personally be fine if I were to get fired, but it’s still stressful & morale is abysmal at best.

3

u/BlatantBarBar Federal Jun 08 '25

Nah, Region 6 CORE. Took a CORE job in 23’ for more stability and less travel (was a busy reservist for 6 years) lol FML.