Interim FEMA head steps down after a concerning six months

David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is stepping down, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Monday’s announcement ends a troubled tenure. It comes just six months after Richardson took the job and while the Atlantic hurricane season is still under way. Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer, is the second FEMA head to leave or be fired since May. He departs amid criticism that he kept a low profile during the deadly Texas floods in July that killed 130 people and baffled staff in June when he said he was unaware the country had a hurricane season. A DHS spokesperson gave no reasons for why the FEMA chief was departing. The Washington Post was the first to report that Richardson was leaving.