The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, forewarned Black people in the United States that we cannot and should not rely on the government or White people to take care of or save us and that we must do for self.
In His book, “Message To The Blackman In America,” on page 169, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad writes, “We must remember that we just cannot depend on the White race ever to do that which we can and should do for self.”
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, like his teacher, has also consistently warned Black people for decades that we must do for ourselves or suffer the consequences.
Both Divine Servants have also cautioned that Allah (God) will continue to punish America through the four judgments of rain, hail, snow, and earthquakes.
In his 1993 book, “A Torchlight for America,” in the chapter, “Greed and Leadership’s State of Mind,” Minister Farrakhan writes, “Allah (God) has a way of showing His disapproval to those who are wise enough to read the signs.
FEMA, the (Federal Emergency Management Act), was enacted to finance emergencies and recoveries from national disasters. Natural disasters are God’s way of indicating His displeasure and are a sign of impending doom.
FEMA doesn’t have enough money to pay for the earthquakes that hit San Francisco during the World Series a few years ago. FEMA does not have enough money to pay for Hurricane Hugo, Cyclone Omar, the hurricanes in Hawaii, the tornadoes that have torn up Tampa Bay, and Hurricane Andrew.”
He continued, “All of these catastrophes increase the budget deficit. And more of these catastrophes are on the way to America with ever-increasing rapidity. This is God’s way of nudging or forcing government leadership to accept real solutions to the country’s problems.
Jehovah used 10 plagues against Pharaoh. Those 10 plagues, including natural calamity from snow, rain, hail and earthquakes, are seen in the world today, particularly in America.”
Minister Farrakhan explained the critical importance of preparedness in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating impact in 2005.
“The Millions More Movement, which is a united front of all of our organizations, we are calling all of us together to pool our resources to address the specific concerns of those who FEMA and the Red Cross are not servicing.
There are many mayors who have contacted me from little cities and towns of Mississippi that no representative of the Red Cross or FEMA has touched.
So, we are going to do our best to service those communities,” stated Minister Farrakhan, during a press conference held September 3, 2005, leading up to the gathering for the Millions More Movement, the 10th Anniversary of the historic 1995 Million Man March.
Today, these warnings and guidance from the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan are continuing to manifest, especially in the wake of additional proposed cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
FEMA is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agency that is responsible for supporting first responders, citizens, and communities in preparing for and recovering from weather-related disasters, including earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. FEMA is charged with providing help before, during and after disasters or emergencies strike.
Photo: AP Photo/Etienne Laurent
However, proposed additional cuts to FEMA personnel are raising concerns that, as weather disasters continue, communities could be even more vulnerable.
Several media outlets have reported that, according to leaked documents, FEMA is considering further job cuts, even though the agency has stated that no final decisions have been made. These additional proposed cuts come amid increasing weather calamities striking the U.S.
According to CommonDreams.org, “Independent journalist Marisa Kabas reported on Wednesday (Dec. 31) that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ‘has begun issuing termination notices’ to staff at the agency’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) that are effective as of January 2.”
Many of these staff are temporary employees who serve as “boots-on-the-ground” first responders in various skill categories for 2-4 years. According to CNN’s 2025 reporting, DHS limited FEMA to renewing these contracts for just 180 days at a time while it considered a long-term plan to shrink the agency.
The 2025 cuts and additional proposed cuts and restructuring at the federal level will place more stress and strain on state and local governments, which often do not have the resources or capacity to handle the aftermath of disasters.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the areas that are often hardest hit by disasters tend to be low-income communities and non-White communities, “due to interlocking discriminatory systems, including racist housing policies, government disinvestment, and economic exploitation.” The Final Call reached out to FEMA for a comment, but has not yet received a response.
“The cuts to FEMA funding and staff will impact the most vulnerable people and communities. The poor, elderly, disabled, and young children are least likely to protect themselves from natural and man-made hazards that result in catastrophic disasters, stated Houston-based Nation of Islam Student Southwest Regional Minister Dr. Abdul Haleem Muhammad, an urban planner.
“They lack resources to shelter in place or safely evacuate out of harm’s way. The result is often injuries, fatalities, loss and destruction of property. Recovery from the harm of disasters is severely hampered without the assistance of FEMA, NGOs (nongovernmental organizations), and local government,” he added.
FEMA’s New Year’s Eve cuts to its CORE staff came after U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns issued a permanent injunction in December, blocking the Trump Administration from shutting down FEMA’s bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program.
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Congress passed a law mandating that FEMA must protect communities through four interrelated functions—mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. The BRIC program is at the core of FEMA’s mitigation efforts.
BRIC projects are required to be cost-effective, and a recent study concluded that every dollar FEMA spends on mitigation saves an average of six dollars in post-disaster costs,” stated California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The BRIC program supports often difficult-to-fund projects, such as constructing evacuation shelters and flood walls, safeguarding utility grids against wildfires, protecting wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, and fortifying bridges, roadways, and culverts, he explained.
The court declared the termination of the BRIC program void and of no force or effect, ruling that no further actions to terminate, shut down, cancel, freeze, suspend, or pause the program may be taken without Congressional authorization and approval.
“One former FEMA official bluntly told CNN that the agency ‘can’t do disaster response and recovery without CORE employees’ that are being laid off by the administration.
The former FEMA official added that regional agency offices throughout the U.S. ‘are almost entirely CORE staff, so the first FEMA people who are usually onsite won’t be there,’ which will mean that ‘states are on their own’ when it comes to disaster response,” reported CommonDreams.org.
Despite what happens at the federal level with FEMA, Minister Farrakhan, who is backed by Allah (God) in the Person of Master Fard Muhammad and His Christ, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, has offered a practical solution for communities.
He has consistently taught the importance of Black and poor communities preparing themselves, including in emergency management and disaster preparedness.
Sister Christina Muhammad of Austin, Texas, volunteers and assists communities in areas of disaster preparedness and has responded to various communities before and after weather-related calamities.
“The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is divine, and he talked to us about what the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, that there’s going to be a time where we will have to know what to store in our houses or what we need to do,” she said.
Sister Christina Muhammad stressed the importance of individuals preparing themselves, their families, and their communities, as federal agencies such as FEMA may not be dependable.
People should be preparing mentally, spiritually and physically for the increasing disasters, in addition to preparing their households, and unite, no matter how large or small one’s home may be, she said. “We have to be able to go out … and pool our resources and help our people,” she said.
Minister Farrakhan led a delegation to Cuba in 2006 to learn from the island nation and bring that knowledge back to the Black community on how best to prepare.
“Those who are scripturally prepared know that it is prophesied that we would be living at a time of wars and rumors of wars, pestilence, famine and earthquakes in diverse places,” Minister Farrakhan said at a press conference from Havana.
“We are witnessing terrifying disasters afflicting the people of the world and these disasters are now afflicting the United States of America. Believing that these prophecies will be fulfilled.
We felt that it is our duty to learn as much as we can, so that we can return to the United States and prepare documents on disaster preparedness, and in conjunction with local, state and federal government, do all we can to prepare the American people, and our people in particular, for coming disasters,” said Minister Farrakhan. Final Call staff contributed to this report.