FEMA 'not ready' for hurricane season, internal review finds

The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told staff members on Thursday that he believes President Donald Trump is a bold man with a bold vision for the agency -- but that FEMA doesn't yet have a full plan to tackle hurricane season.

"I would say we're about 80 or 85% there," Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson told staff on a conference call, parts of which were obtained by ABC. "The next week, we will close that gap and get to probably 97-98% of a plan. We'll never have 100% of a plan. Even if we did have 100% of a plan, a plan never survives first contact. However, we will do our best to make sure that the plan is all-encompassing."

The conference call came after an internal document prepared for Richardson as he takes the helm of the agency responsible for managing federal disasters indicated the agency was ill-prepared for the upcoming hurricane season, which starts on June 1.

"As FEMA transforms to a smaller footprint, the intent for this hurricane season is not well understood, thus FEMA is not ready," according to the document, which was obtained by ABC News.

In the conference call, Richardson said he and staff sat down for "about 90 minutes" and started to come up with a plan for this year's disaster season.

He said the plan would be ready soon.

"Listen closely: The intent for disaster season 2025 (is to) safeguard the American people, return primacy to the states, strengthen their capability to respond and recover, and coordinate federal assistance when deemed necessary, while transforming to the future of FEMA," Richardson said.

Richardson was placed at FEMA by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after former acting Administrator Cam Hamilton was fired last week because of his testimony in front of a House panel, according to a source familiar with the matter, which went against the shuttering of the agency.

The acting administrator said this version of FEMA will look different than the agency of the past.

“The president’s intent for FEMA is to ensure that FEMA is only doing the things in law that it should be doing,” he said during the conference call, adding there is a “large push” to get resources to the states.

“You can imagine that makes FEMA look very, very different. What it's going to look like in the end, we'll find out,” he told staff. “Remember, the president's a bold man. The president has a bold vision, he makes bold statements."

The earlier document about the agency's hurricane planning said that staffing limitations, hiring and a lack of coordination with states will also impact FEMA's operations heading into hurricane season.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News earlier that the information in the document is "grossly out of context."

"You are referencing one line on a nineteen-page slide deck and the unsubstantiated opinion of one official inside the agency," a DHS spokesperson said. "The slide was used during a daily meeting Acting Administrator David Richardson has held every day titled Hurricane Readiness Complex Problem Solving. In other words, exactly what the head of an emergency management agency should be doing before Hurricane Season. This is just another example of a long line of internal leaks from people who clearly couldn't care less about Americans facing disaster and prefer to manufacture petty drama for their own self-aggrandizement. Under Secretary Noem's leadership, and the efforts of Acting Administrator Richardson FEMA is fully activated in preparation for Hurricane Season."

At his first all-hands meeting last week, Richardson told employees to not get in his way when he is trying to achieve the president's objectives, a source told ABC News.

"Don't get in my way if you're those 20% of the people," he told employees last Friday morning, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting. "I know all the tricks."

"Obfuscation. Delay. Undermining. If you're one of those 20% of the people and you think those tactics and techniques are going to help you, they will not because I will run right over you," he said, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting. "I will achieve the president's intent. I am as bent on achieving the president's intent as I was on making sure that I did my duty when I took my Marines to Iraq."

Morale at FEMA has been sinking since Noem said she was going to eliminate the agency, according to sources within the agency.

Noem was pressed during a House panel on Wednesday about whether she has a plan to eliminate FEMA. She said she didn't have a plan, but said the White House would be coming forward with a plan.

"There is no formalized final plan for how this goes forward, because the input of Congress is critically important," she told Rep. Bennie Thompson.

CNN first reported on the internal review document.