FEMA acting chief David Richardson has laid out the agency's intent for this upcoming hurricane season, cementing plans to push more responsibility to the states for disaster response and recovery while continuing federal support “when deemed necessary.

Richardson, who took the helm at FEMA one week ago in an abrupt change of leadership, said he believed the agency would likely cut its financial outlay to half of what a state needs to respond to a disaster as part of future reforms.

Experts say recent turmoil at FEMA will leave millions of people vulnerable as climate change-fueled disasters get worse in the months and years ahead.