An official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said he meant the comment as a joke.

Homeland Security officials say acting FEMA head David Richardson was joking when he said he wasn't aware of the annual U.S. hurricane season.Reuters reported Monday that Richardson said during a briefing that he didn't know the U.

David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told staff he didn’t know the United States had a hurricane season, according to four people familiar with the exchange.