Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who commanded Joint Task Force Katrina in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s deadly strike 20 years ago, on Saturday urged President Donald Trump on Newsmax to elevate the Federal Emergency Management Agency to Cabinet status and warned Americans to always be ready to evacuate in the face of disaster.

“Please, Mr. President, bring FEMA as a Cabinet member,” Honoré told “America Right Now.” “Have it work directly for you. We need FEMA. Don’t get rid of it. Fix it, Mr. President. Bring it under you.”

His comments echoed an MSNBC opinion piece he wrote this past week, in which he said that FEMA is now “in worse shape than any agency.”

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