The acting chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency will step down after hurricane season, ending a turbulent tenure marked by public controversy and deep internal frustration. David Richardson submitted his resignation on Monday to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, giving two weeks’ notice.
His months in charge included several high-profile missteps, including a June meeting where he told employees he did not know the United States had a hurricane season. DHS later claimed the remark was a joke.
His exit comes at a sensitive moment for FEMA as Noem and DHS prepare sweeping changes that could significantly reshape the agency’s future.
A FEMA official familiar with the decision said Karen Evans, a close Trump administration ally who recently became FEMA’s chief of staff, will replace Richardson on December 1.
DHS thanked Richardson “for his dedicated service and wish him continued success in his return to the private sector.”
Richardson’s biggest test came in July, when catastrophic flooding hit Texas.
During the crisis, Richardson was on vacation and unreachable for hours. He later told lawmakers he spent the trip in his truck, monitoring the situation and coordinating the response.
He did not appear publicly during the flooding and did not travel to the disaster area until more than a week later. That visit was unannounced and occurred days after President Donald Trump and Noem had already toured the devastation.
He arrived wearing a straw hat and cowboy boots with no FEMA insignia, an unusual look for a FEMA chief during a disaster.
Richardson defended his work and told lawmakers the Texas response was a “model for how to respond to a disaster.”
In a statement Monday, Richardson argued he took on the job when no one else would.
“I agreed to be the acting administrator through hurricane season when others wouldn’t,” he said. “Hurricane season ends on 1 December. Since the danger has largely passed, I can now leave for other opportunities. Many were asked. One raised his hand and said, ‘I’ll do it.’”
Richardson, a former Marine combat veteran, martial arts instructor and painter, previously led the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office at DHS. He had no experience managing natural disasters when he was appointed in May.
His predecessor, Cameron Hamilton, also a Trump appointee, was fired after clashing with senior DHS officials and resisting efforts to eliminate FEMA.
“He never should have been there to begin with,” Hamilton told CNN. “The two words I’d use to describe him are unprofessional and overwhelmed.”
Richardson’s appointment marked a shift as DHS took greater control of FEMA, replacing longtime emergency managers with political loyalists.
On his first day, Richardson told staff he alone spoke for the agency and warned he would “run right over” anyone who challenged him.
Officials described him as unpredictable and prone to shouting. One FEMA employee said he once asked if disaster funds could be directed to Republican areas but not Democratic ones.
He often barred staff from bringing phones or computers to meetings. He rarely used email and kept his own phone out of sight, making communication difficult.
Over time, Noem and other DHS leaders became frustrated with his behavior and his failure to publicly explain the administration’s FEMA reforms.
DHS blocked him from speaking at conventions and from leading hurricane season awareness campaigns.
“Have you heard him speak?” one administration official told CNN. “He does more damage than good.”
In recent months, DHS reassigned some of his closest allies and installed senior officials who further limited his authority, effectively sidelining him until hurricane season ended.
