Staring down another above-average hurricane season, America’s weather forecasting and disaster response agencies are more hollowed out than ever before – and that could leave tens of millions of Americans more vulnerable to these massive storms.

The National Hurricane Center has started tracking a tropical wave west off of the African coast just weeks ahead of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. It’s common to see tropical waves ahead of hurricane season, and this system is nothing out of the ordinary.

The Atlantic hurricane season gets underway on Sunday, June 1, and forecasters are concerned that it will be similar to the 2024 season, which was one of the most devastating and costliest on record.

The homeland security officials will replace several longtime FEMA leaders, marking an inflection point in the Trump administration’s takeover of the disaster relief agency.

A project to pump sand onto Carolina and Kure beaches was supposed to happen this past winter, but rising costs mean it will now start this fall.