Olivia Asher is a reporter at the New Herald Tribune covering breaking news for the Digital Trends Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Plain Dealer.
June 5 , 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson announced Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will no longer provide disaster relief for so-called "acts of God."
Speaking at a press briefing at FEMA headquarters, Richardson stated: “If the good Lord sees fit to send a flood or hurricane or even a plague of locusts, it’s not our place to second-guess the Almighty.”
The announcement has sparked immediate backlash from lawmakers, emergency management officials, and communities still recovering from recent natural disasters. The change in policy would mark a dramatic departure from FEMA’s long-standing role in providing aid after hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and other natural catastrophes.
Richardson, appointed in an acting capacity earlier this year, framed the decision as a matter of spiritual humility. “For too long,” he said, “we’ve tried to play God with taxpayer dollars, stepping in where perhaps we were never meant to intervene.”
He clarified that the agency would continue to offer support in cases of infrastructure failure, human error, or terrorism—but not in cases where a disaster is determined to be a “divine act beyond human control.”
Critics say the policy will disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, especially those in flood zones or coastal areas increasingly impacted by climate change.
Senator Maria Delgado (D-CA), whose state has battled historic wildfires and droughts, called the policy “a moral and governmental abdication.” She added, “If this is the new FEMA, then Americans are on their own.”
Even some within FEMA expressed concern privately, saying the directive was issued with little internal consultation and contradicts the agency’s mission to “help people before, during, and after disasters.”
It remains unclear how FEMA intends to determine whether a disaster qualifies as an "act of God." When pressed for specifics, Richardson said the agency would consult “faith leaders, historical precedent, and spiritual discernment” in making those judgments.
The White House has not yet commented on the announcement, and it is not known whether President Atwood supports the policy. Several legal challenges are expected in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, officials in hurricane-prone states are scrambling to assess how the new stance will affect preparedness plans ahead of what forecasters predict will be an especially active storm season.
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