Katrina was one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, in part because of a breakdown of leadership and response at the city, state and federal level. Congress passed the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act in 2006 to give FEMA more responsibility and to put in place safeguards to mitigate against another failed response.

Federal Emergency Management Agency employees warned members of Congress about their concerns that the agency is unprepared for another large-scale disaster under the Trump administration. In a letter to Congress titled the “Katrina Declaration,

After Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed a law to strengthen the nation’s disaster response. FEMA employees say the Trump administration has reversed that progress.