maybe fema rebuilding will begin

The title of this article is FEMA overhaul now likely as agency gets new leader backed by Congress

More than likely, the mission that needs to be accomplished is to try and rebuild some of the capacity and capabilities that were lost due to the cuts that came rapidly in 2025 when the goal was to gut government staffing because the value of the services being provided was not recognized.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was not the only agency impacted. Many others are now functioning with fewer people and less capacity to serve the mission of their organizations and the citizens they support.

FEMA will not be rebuilt with the snap of the fingers and it will be many years before we are anywhere near what existed before the cuts will implemented.

I guess it provides an opportunity for a new generation to get experience more rapidly than one might have expected.

One last note, I’ve had two recent podcasts from staff who left FEMA in 2025. Both guests represent the level of expertise and passion that was lost with the cuts that were made. True that some left voluntarily and others retired—because they saw the writing on the wall.

Here at the two podcasts:

Playing now: Disaster Zone Podcast: Rebuilding Safer: A Guide to State and Local Adaptation

In the recent past: Legal Issues in Disaster Response and Recovery