As potentially severe storms threaten parts of the Midwest and the South — which comes after a string of tornadoes have already left over two dozen dead — residents will likely have to turn to a weakened Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid recovery.
In London, Kentucky, Michael Carnes clung to his family as they heard the walls crumbling around them when a tornado hit on Friday.
“We ran into the closet under the stairs, which we thought was the safest place, which it was cuz it’s basically the only place it wasn’t damaged at all,” he recalled.
Across the state, authorities said 19 people were killed after a tornado damaged hundreds of homes and tossed vehicles in the air. With multiple other residents hospitalized, the death toll was expected to rise.
Extreme weather has caused widespread destruction in the Bluegrass State. In April, heavy rainfall led to major flooding in what is now Kentucky’s wettest year on record. And so far in 2025, more than 42 tornadoes have been reported.
CBS News
Carnes and other survivors are picking up the pieces of what’s left, and they’re going to need a lot of help.
London Police and Laurel County officials have set up sites for residents to pick up supplies and several shelters have been opened. FEMA is also on the ground, officials tell CBS News, but the agency is facing its own challenges after it lost about a third of its staff. About 1,800 employees took the Trump administration’s buyout offer, a top former FEMA official told CBS News. Another 200 or so probationary workers were also fired.
Earlier this month, the head of FEMA was fired after he appeared to publicly break with the Trump administration on whether to eliminate the nation’s disaster relief agency. Cameron Hamilton, FEMA’s acting administrator, departed roughly three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Last week, CBS News reported on an internal FEMA review that said the disaster relief agency is “not ready” for the hurricane season, which officially begins in June.
Meanwhile, Congress is reviewing the Trump administration’s proposal to slash FEMA’s budget, nixing $646 million in non-disaster grants during the 2026 fiscal year.
President Trump has toyed with the idea of eliminating FEMA and in March signed an executive order directing state and local governments to “play a more active and significant role” in preparing for emergencies. The administration has also justified the proposed cuts to the agency and hiring overhaul as “cutting out wasteful spending and bureaucracy.”
Despite the layoffs and potential cuts, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said leaders at FEMA have vowed to help.
“The people who’ve been harmed are gonna get our very best. We’re gonna fight for them,” Beshear said Saturday. “I have no criticisms of their operations on the ground and that’s coming from a guy who’s had disagreements with this president, but they’ve done a good job when FEMA has come into Kentucky and I’m grateful.”
For now, Carnes and his neighbors say they feel overwhelmed. When asked what is next for him to do, Carnes said he’ll probably file for relief with the Red Cross and FEMA.
“And just try to get as much help as we can to rebuild,” Carnes said, “or move on.”
Leave a Reply