FEMA - Can't Attend This Year's National Hurricane Conference, So State & Local Governments Should "Do More"

A major conference to help communities prepare for hurricane season kicked off Monday without the agency that coordinates federal disaster response. Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives attributed their absence at the National Hurricane Conference to the partial government shutdown.

The conference is one of the largest aimed at helping communities prepare for the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1. More than 1,800 local and state emergency managers registered to attend, along with representatives from other federal agencies, nonprofits such as the Salvation Army and companies such as Publix and Home Depot. The conference concludes Thursday.

“Due to the ongoing funding lapse, FEMA cannot participate in National Hurricane Conference trainings,” a statement provided to Inside Climate News says. “These trainings and collaborations are vital for preparedness, and FEMA regrets that we cannot engage as we have in previous years. This shutdown directly impacts our ability to support communities when it matters most.”

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A report from the FEMA Review Council, appointed to consider how to reform the agency, also remains overdue. Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and a member of the council, told journalists during a briefing at the conference that the report was on hold because of the partial shutdown. “At the end of the day we’re at a natural evolutionary standpoint for the next evolution of emergency management,” he said. “As much as we’re broken, we’re still the best emergency management program in the world.”

Ed. Sure, Kevin, sure . ..

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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/30032026/fema-skips-national-hurricane-conference/