Acting FEMA Head Resigns, Agency Names Replacement

The agency’s chief of staff will step into the role on Dec. 1.

Acting Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) David Richardson testifies before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on July 23, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Director David Richardson has resigned, the agency confirmed on Monday. Chief of Staff Karen Evans will step into the role.

Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer from Michigan, is leaving the emergency response agency nearly six months after taking the post, amid criticism over his handling of the Texas floods in July.

Evans will take over on Dec. 1, a spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told The Epoch Times in an email.

In the statement, FEMA and DHS extended their appreciation for Richardson, and wished him continued success as he returns to the private sector.

“Mr. Richardson led FEMA through the 2025 hurricane season, delivering historic funding to North Carolina, Texas, Florida, New Mexico, and Alaska, and overseeing a comprehensive review that identified and eliminated serious governmental waste and inefficiency, while refocusing the agency to deliver swift resources to Americans in crisis,” the spokesperson said.

DHS said it expects the forthcoming release of FEMA’s Review Council report will transform the agency from its current form into a streamlined, mission-focused disaster response force.

Richardson also held the position of assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office. He served in combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, according to the FEMA website.

The outgoing director was criticized this summer for the federal response to the catastrophic Texas floods in July.

He told a House panel of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on July 23 that he “can’t see anything that we did wrong.”

The flooding killed at least 137 people, including dozens of children, in the Texas Hill Country. The losses included 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River.

A report criticized FEMA, claiming the urban search and rescue team was delayed 72 hours because of a new rule put in place by the Trump administration that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had to personally approve any contract of $100,000 or more.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in Washington on Sept. 1, 2019. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

Richardson denied the allegation.

In June, President Donald Trump said he would begin phasing out the agency and reduce disaster aid to states at the end of this year’s hurricane season.

Trump stated he wanted to wean the federal government off FEMA and give it back to the states.