‘The perfect storm’: Trump has left the US less prepared for natural disasters, experts say

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The first year of his second term was marked by crackdowns on climate science that produced world-class weather forecasts and the gutting of frontline federal agencies - policies that have left the country, already struggling to keep pace with severe storms, even more at risk.

Deep budget cuts and massive firing sprees shrank emergency response agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), the agency tasked with coordinating national disaster responses, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), considered a global crown jewel for climate science.

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After Trump took office in January, his administration also worked quickly and diligently to claw back funding for climate-resilience initiatives, cancel research contracts and pull down data relied on by industry and the public alike.

The worst effects, experts say, may not reveal themselves until catastrophe strikes. But in a year marked by three category 5 hurricanes, record summer humidity and heat, and deadly fires and floods, the cracks have already begun to show.

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