March 24, 2025
Community Update on FEMA
The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership) hosts weekly national stakeholder calls. These calls bring together people from across the country — including folks from emergency management, public health, disability organizations, and local, state, and federal government agencies — to talk about current topics and what disabled people need before, during, and after disasters.
On February 25, Dr. Sherman Gillums, Jr., the outgoing Director of FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC), joined one of our weekly calls to announce that he was stepping down from his position. He shared that the agency was going through a hard time and that he wanted people to hear the news directly from him. He thanked everyone and said he’d keep supporting disability work, even though he was leaving FEMA.
Then, a few weeks later on March 18, Elizabeth Edge came on our weekly call and introduced herself as the new Acting Director of ODIC. She said she’s stepping in to help the team through the transition and made sure everyone knew FEMA’s work to include disabled people in disaster planning is still going strong. She shared that most of the ODIC team is still working, including the field staff who help during disasters.
It is important to note three Regional Disability Integration Specialist (RDIS) positions are vacant at this point, Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaiʻi, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia; and, Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. It is unclear when/if these positions will be rehired as there is currently a “freeze” on all FEMA hiring.
Executive Order on State & Local Preparedness & Council to Assess FEMA
President Trump’s Executive Order, Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness, signed March 18th and published on March 20 calls for “empowering state, local, tribal, and territorial governments – and even individual citizens – to take a more active role in preparing for disasters, while the federal government reduces complexity in its guidance” according to the Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Achieves Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness.
In the White House Fact Sheet, the administration said this order will “modernize and simplify” how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies approach disaster readiness, aligning efforts with a forthcoming National Resilience Strategy. Key components of the Executive Order include, shifting from an “all-hazards” approach to a risk-based focus (prioritizing the most likely threats), creating a national risk register to map out major risks, and streamlining federal processes meant to make it easer for states and cities to work with DC.
Additionally, On January 24, 2025, President Trump established the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council to evaluate FEMA's effectiveness in disaster response and recommend improvements. The Council, co-chaired by the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense, comprises up to 20 members appointed by the President. The Council’s objective includes assessing FEMA's performance over the previous four years, comparing it with state, local, and private sector responses, and providing recommendations to enhance FEMA's operations. The Council is required to hold its first public meeting within 90 days (April 24, 2025) of the order and submit a comprehensive report to the President within 180 days of that meeting.
Community Update on FEMA
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Posted: March 24, 2025 by admin
March 24, 2025
Community Update on FEMA
The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership) hosts weekly national stakeholder calls. These calls bring together people from across the country — including folks from emergency management, public health, disability organizations, and local, state, and federal government agencies — to talk about current topics and what disabled people need before, during, and after disasters.
On February 25, Dr. Sherman Gillums, Jr., the outgoing Director of FEMA’s Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC), joined one of our weekly calls to announce that he was stepping down from his position. He shared that the agency was going through a hard time and that he wanted people to hear the news directly from him. He thanked everyone and said he’d keep supporting disability work, even though he was leaving FEMA.
Then, a few weeks later on March 18, Elizabeth Edge came on our weekly call and introduced herself as the new Acting Director of ODIC. She said she’s stepping in to help the team through the transition and made sure everyone knew FEMA’s work to include disabled people in disaster planning is still going strong. She shared that most of the ODIC team is still working, including the field staff who help during disasters.
It is important to note three Regional Disability Integration Specialist (RDIS) positions are vacant at this point, Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin; Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaiʻi, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia; and, Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. It is unclear when/if these positions will be rehired as there is currently a “freeze” on all FEMA hiring.
Executive Order on State & Local Preparedness & Council to Assess FEMA
President Trump’s Executive Order, Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness, signed March 18th and published on March 20 calls for “empowering state, local, tribal, and territorial governments – and even individual citizens – to take a more active role in preparing for disasters, while the federal government reduces complexity in its guidance” according to the Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Achieves Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness.
In the White House Fact Sheet, the administration said this order will “modernize and simplify” how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies approach disaster readiness, aligning efforts with a forthcoming National Resilience Strategy. Key components of the Executive Order include, shifting from an “all-hazards” approach to a risk-based focus (prioritizing the most likely threats), creating a national risk register to map out major risks, and streamlining federal processes meant to make it easer for states and cities to work with DC.
Additionally, On January 24, 2025, President Trump established the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council to evaluate FEMA's effectiveness in disaster response and recommend improvements. The Council, co-chaired by the Secretaries of Homeland Security and Defense, comprises up to 20 members appointed by the President. The Council’s objective includes assessing FEMA's performance over the previous four years, comparing it with state, local, and private sector responses, and providing recommendations to enhance FEMA's operations. The Council is required to hold its first public meeting within 90 days (April 24, 2025) of the order and submit a comprehensive report to the President within 180 days of that meeting.
Disability advocates and emergency managers are watching closely. There are concerns that shifting more responsibility to under-resourced state and local agencies will impact disaster services that survivors with disabilities rely on. The new executive action may change how FEMA coordinates and funds preparedness, but it does not remove FEMA’s fundamental responsibilities to help people before, during, and after disasters – including people with disabilities. FEMA’s own acting ODIC director, Elizabeth Edge, perhaps put it best: “failure is not an option” – the work of disaster disability integration will carry on.
DHS Watchdog Offices Shuttered: Implications for FEMA
In a concerning development, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moved to eliminate three internal watchdog offices last week. A DHS spokesperson confirmed on March 21st that the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman are being disbanded via a “reduction in force.”
Why does this matter to disaster-impacted communities and disability rights? CRCL’s mandate spanned far beyond immigration – it monitored civil rights and civil liberties across all of DHS’s agencies (over 20 of them), including how FEMA handles disaster response and how DHS staff treat people with disabilities. For example, CRCL has investigated complaints ranging from immigration detention conditions to the mistreatment of a traveler in a wheelchair by a federal agent. They have been among the few internal advocates ensuring that DHS upholds civil rights laws in its programs, and investigate allegations of discrimination by organizations or programs that receive financial assistance from DHS. Their reports also informed Congress and the public about problems – including issues in FEMA’s disaster aid programs – that might otherwise stay hidden.
For the disability community, the closure of CRCL raises concern that oversight of FEMA’s compliance with accessibility and non-discrimination in disasters will be weakened. It puts more onus on external advocates like us to fill the watchdog role from the outside.
The Disability Community’s Commitment
Throughout these turbulent months, The Partnership and other disability-rights organizations have doubled down on our missions. While we’re in steadfast support of our colleagues who are leading advocacy on other attacks on the disability community such as, Section 504, the Department of Education, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) – which will disproportionately impact disabled disaster survivors. We’re staying engaged with FEMA and the Administration for Community Living (ACL), supporting local communities and disabled disaster survivors, and bringing stakeholders together to advance disability inclusive disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
It’s been a fast paced few weeks, and there will be more changes on the horizon. Stay tuned for our next update, and in the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need resources at info@disaseterstrategies.org. We remain committed to disability justice, community resilience, and ensuring no one is left behind in disasters.
Together, we will keep pushing for equity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout emergency management.
Category: Announcement, Disability Advocacy, Disability Advocacy, Emergency Preparedness, FEMA, News, Public Policy and Legislation Tags: disability, disability rights, disasters, FEMA, news