Lauren Sommer
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
FEMA relies on thousands of disaster workers to respond on the ground when storms and wildfires hit.
Those workers are on two- or four-year contracts, which generally are renewed.
Recently, FEMA has been terminating employees whose contracts are up, something disaster response experts say could hurt the agency's ability to respond.
On Thursday, FEMA abruptly stopped that policy, according to an internal email obtained by NPR.
The Trump administration has been critical of FEMA and is working to overhaul the agency.
In a statement to NPR, FEMA says its disaster workforce is designed to fluctuate, but did not respond to questions about whether the termination policy would be reinstated after the winter storm.
FEMA relies on thousands of disaster workers to respond on the ground when storms and wildfires hit.
Those workers are on two- or four-year contracts, which generally are renewed.
Recently, FEMA has been terminating employees whose contracts are up, something disaster response experts say could hurt the agency's ability to respond.
On Thursday, FEMA abruptly stopped that policy, according to an internal email obtained by NPR.
The Trump administration has been critical of FEMA and is working to overhaul the agency.
In a statement to NPR, FEMA says its disaster workforce is designed to fluctuate, but did not respond to questions about whether the termination policy would be reinstated after the winter storm.
December was about 10 degrees hot of an average across much of the West, making it the warmest December on record in nine states.
That means when storms hit, a lot of precipitation fell as rain instead of snow.
As of early January, western snow cover was at its lowest in 25 years for this time, with the biggest deficits in the Pacific Northwest and Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.
Snowpack provides much of the West's drinking water as it slowly melts throughout the spring.
Climate change research shows that snowpack is at risk as winters keep getting warmer.