On 20th Anniversary of Katrina, FEMA Staffers Risk Their Jobs by Signing the Katrina Declaration

In a letter to Congress on Monday, 191 current and former FEMA employees warned that the Trump administration has undercut the agency's ability to respond to large-scale disasters like Katrina.  On Tuesday, more than a dozen employees who signed the letter were placed on administrative leave, according to the advocacy group Stand Up for Science, which hosted a public version of the Katrina Declaration on its website and spoke directly with those employees.  Here’s a summary and their Six Statements of Opposition in the Katrina Declaration. 

TO: Members of Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council

CC: U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security; U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; U.S. House Committee on Appropriations; U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations; Members of Congress

Twenty years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane, claiming an estimated 1,833 lives, leaving millions homeless, and causing approximately $161 billion in damage. Hurricane Katrina was not just a natural disaster, but a man-made one: the inexperience of senior leaders and the profound failure by the federal government to deliver timely, unified, and effective aid to those in need left survivors to fend for themselves for days, and highlighted how Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities are disproportionally affected by disasters. These failures prompted Congress to pass the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA), which introduced safeguards to ensure such shortcomings of disaster preparation and response would not be repeated. However, two decades later, FEMA is enacting processes and leadership structures that echo the conditions PKEMRA was designed to prevent.

Since January 2025, FEMA has been under the leadership of individuals lacking legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background required of a FEMA Administrator. Decisions made by FEMA’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator (SOPDA) David Richardson, Former SOPDA Cameron Hamilton, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem erode the capacity of FEMA and our State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners, hinder the swift execution of our mission, and dismiss experienced staff whose institutional knowledge and relationships are vital to ensure effective emergency management. 

The following are our Six Statements of Opposition from FEMA’s workforce and our Petition to Congress, which we hope come in time to prevent not only another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, but the effective dissolution of FEMA itself and the abandonment of the American people such an event would represent: 

1) We oppose the reduction in capability of FEMA to perform its missions.

2) We oppose the ongoing failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator, as required by law. 

3) We oppose the elimination of life- and cost-saving risk reduction programs.  

4) We oppose interference with preparedness programs that build capacity for our SLTT partners. 

5) We oppose the censorship of climate science, environmental protection, and efforts to ensure all communities have access to information, resources, and support.

6) We oppose the reduction of FEMA’s disaster workforce.

Who We Are 

The signatories of this letter are FEMA employees from across the United States who are dedicated to helping people before, during, and after disasters, and who are members of the communities we seek to support. In addition to named signatories, we include anonymous signatories who share our concerns but choose not to identify themselves due to the culture of fear and suppression cultivated by this administration.

We stand in solidarity with our colleagues and public servants at the NIH, EPA, NASA, NSF and CDC who have released similar declarations concerning the administration's actions at their respective agencies. We dedicate this Katrina Declaration and Petition to 1) every life lost from disasters, 2) to the survivors who endured and rebuilt, 3) to every first responder and public servant who places service above self, and 4) to all the federal partners who serve alongside us to deliver our mission. Their sacrifices and courage strengthen our commitment to speak the truth, sound the alarm, and defend our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters.

You can add your name to the Statement of Solidarity and Support for the brave dissenters of the FEMA Katrina Declaration here

References: 

Source: Stand Up for Science

NBC News: FEMA employees placed on leave after criticizing Trump administration