In video viewed by The Wall Street Journal, newly appointed Director David Richardson says “clarifying the intent of the president”— who has called for terminating the agency—has been a challenge in preparing a strategy.

Hurricane preparations at FEMA have slowed to a crawl. With hurricane season weeks away, a new assessment raises a number of red flags about how the agency would respond to a major disaster.

The new acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has privately acknowledged that his agency doesn't have A finalized disaster response plan just two weeks before the dangerous season begins,

FEMA acting chief David Richardson has laid out the agency's intent for this upcoming hurricane season, cementing plans to push more responsibility to the states for disaster response and recovery while continuing federal support “when deemed necessary.

Richardson, who took the helm at FEMA one week ago in an abrupt change of leadership, said he believed the agency would likely cut its financial outlay to half of what a state needs to respond to a disaster as part of future reforms.