Donald Trump has presided over a dangerous erosion in US capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, according to emergency management experts. Even as Trump sought to slash federal funding, the cost of disasters continued to climb. Smith now works as the senior climate impacts scientist for the non-profit Climate Central, where he is continuing to build the database. “We are in the perfect storm,” said Monica Medina, who served as the principal deputy administrator of Noaa during the Obama administration. Many don’t even have dedicated emergency management departments.

Source: The Guardian January 05, 2026 02:24 UTC