US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to sign an executive order to overhaul or get rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as he was addressing a briefing on North Carolina's hurricane recovery. 

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Claiming the agency got in the way of disaster response, Trump suggested that states take the lead role in responding and then get reimbursed a percentage of their costs from the federal government. 

Also read: Trump says will sign executive order to 'fundamentally overhaul' or 'get rid of FEMA' as he arrives in North Carolina

What is FEMA?

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency is a US government agency with a mission to help people before, during, and after natural disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods.

It was created in 1979 through an executive order by Former President Jimmy Carter.

The agency, headquartered in Washington DC, coordinates the federal response to disasters. 

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Also read: FEMA official directed aid workers to avoid houses with Trump signs, suspended: Report

It employs over 20,000 people across the US and has an operating budget and disaster relief fund used to reimburse states and local governments in emergencies.

Moreover, it has 10 regional offices and the capacity to coordinate resources from across the federal government. 

It further includes money for residents, which can be used during the time of emergency or for helping uninsured homeowners rebuild.

Also read: Weeks after Hurricane Helene, nearly 100 people still missing in North Carolina

However, FEMA's reputation was slammed because of its poor handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 

Trump on Friday arrived in North Carolina and assessed the role of FEMA moving forward.  

"FEMA just hasn’t done the job. And we’re looking at the whole concept of FEMA. I like, frankly, the concept when North Carolina gets hit, the governor takes care of it. When Florida gets hit, the governor takes care of it, meaning the state takes care of it, to have a group of people come in from an area that don’t even know where they’re going in order to solve immediately a problem is something that never worked for me, but this is probably one of the best examples of it not working,” Trump told reporters. 

He added that the "aid will go through us", rather than going through FEMA. 

(With inputs from agencies)