It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing nearly 1,400 people and displacing up to 1.2 million more. The storm’s impact overwhelmed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, revealing fatal flaws in its disaster response.

The agency’s failure prompted Congress to overhaul FEMA largely through the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA). This set higher expectations for its leaders and enhanced its autonomy within the Department of Homeland Security. Now, the Trump administration is reversing this progress, and FEMA staffers with something to say about it are being shown the door.

Setting the stage for another ‘Katrina’ debacle

In an open letter to Congress on Monday, nearly 200 current and former FEMA employees argued that t

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