David Richardson’s comment to staff that he was unaware the United States had a hurricane season was meant in jest, the Department of Homeland Security said.

President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly floated the idea of terminating the emergency disaster agency.

In a meeting with FEMA staff, David Richardson said he was unaware the United States had a hurricane season. Two staff members said it was unclear if he was serious, but the agency said he was joking.

According to rumors that spread online in early June 2025, David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he did not know the U.S. had a hurricane season each year.

A developing tropical cyclone is given a name when it reaches sustained winds of 39 mph, and it becomes a hurricane at 74 mph ...

FEMA's new head, David Richardson, sparked controversy by seemingly unaware of the US hurricane season during a staff briefing, raising concerns about the agency's readiness. Despite a Homeland ...

A spokesperson said that David Richardson, acting administrator of FEMA as of early May, was joking. During the briefing, ...

This is due to concerns about its readiness for the upcoming hurricane season. Acting Administrator David Richardson's leadership style and knowledge are under examination. He reportedly made ...

Staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency were caught off-guard and left bewildered when the disaster relief agency’s new acting head David ... hurricane season, which started Sunday ...

Hurricane season began on Sunday, June 1, and goes through Nov. 30. Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Director David Richardson told staff in an all-hands meeting that he was unaware ...

With the Atlantic hurricane season officially underway and forecasts calling for an above-average year, the new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) appeared to discover—in ...

It was not clear to staff whether FEMA's David Richardson meant it literally or as a joke, but current and former employees ...