By Leah Douglas and Courtney Rozen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An online disaster management tool that U.S. emergency managers use to communicate may no longer be supported Wednesday, according to a notice posted and later deleted from a federal government website.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Preparedness Toolkit website on Tuesday displayed a banner that said, “Note: This site may no longer be supported after Sept. 10. PLEASE back up your information as soon as possible, as it may not be accessible after that date.” The notice disappeared from the website after Reuters contacted FEMA for comment.
Emergency managers use the toolkit to communicate with neighboring state officials if they need extra help in a natural disaster, according to the National Emergency Management Association.
The contract that funds the operations, maintenance and development of the toolkit website expires on September 10, according to a federal contract record reviewed by Reuters. If FEMA does not extend it, the contract will lapse in the middle of U.S. hurricane season.
President Donald Trump has pushed to reduce the role of the federal government in responding to natural disasters. Trump has said he plans to wind down FEMA, the U.S.’s disaster management agency, after Atlantic hurricane season ends in November.
Trump, a Republican, has said FEMA is overly bureaucratic and partisan, although supporters of the agency say it offers aid to Republican and Democratic states without political bias.
Jon Shear, board member at the International Association of Emergency Managers, said the toolkit dramatically reduces the cost of developing and running emergency training exercises.
“Many of our members rely on PTK in their daily work,” Shear said.
The contract was extended on August 27 for 14 days, the records show.
4 Arrows Consulting, which holds the contract to maintain the toolkit website, referred Reuters to FEMA for comment. A FEMA spokesperson said the agency is “monitoring the situation and working closely with the vendor.”
(Reporting by Leah Douglas and Courney Rozen in Washington, editing by Ross Colvin and David Gregorio)
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