Hurricane Erin Rapidly Intensified, But Trump Gutted Our Hurricane Preparedness

Washington, D.C.  — This weekend, Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified to a Category 5 before weakening to a Category 4 last night. Hurricane Erin is the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025 and was one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record. Thousands of people across Puerto Rico have lost power, and communities along the east coast are expecting dangerous surf as the storm continues to grow and moves north. Donald Trump slashed our forecasting capabilities and disaster response, effectively gutting our hurricane preparedness and putting communities at risk during storms like Hurricane Erin. 

Climate Power Senior Advisor for Climate Urgency Sarah Galvez issued the following statement: “After rapidly intensifying, Hurricane Erin is still growing, and communities around its path are being put at risk thanks to the Trump Administration gutting the forecasting that people rely on during extreme weather. Fueled by the climate crisis, major hurricanes are only becoming more frequent and severe, but Trump’s reckless actions have left Americans vulnerable and unprepared.” 

Trump has gutted our hurricane preparedness: 

• Trump laid off hundreds of employees from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including hurricane hunters and researchers at the National Severe Storm Laboratory.
• Trump gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, leaving nearly half of the weather forecast offices critically understaffed and 30 of the 122 (24.5%) offices lacking a meteorologist-in-charge.
• Because of Trump’s massive cuts, the National Weather Service eliminated or reduced vital weather balloon launches, which degraded forecasts during previous storms.
• Trump gutted disaster relief, cutting roughly 20% of the staff responsible for preventing and responding to disasters like hurricanes. 

• According to an internal agency review, FEMA was “not ready” ahead of hurricane season and was months behind schedule in its preparations. The agency also reduced emergency training for state and local emergency managers just before the start of hurricane season.

• Trump’s FEMA head scrapped the agency’s hurricane plan at the last minute to revert to last year’s plan. 

• Trump gutted federal aid for communities to prepare for disasters and wants to make it harder for communities to receive federal disaster aid. 

• Trump ended the tracking of the most costly extreme weather events – those that cause over $1 billion in damage. This data is critical for measuring the impacts of extreme weather disasters and preparing for future catastrophic events.