The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told employees Monday that he did not know the United States has a hurricane season, according to two people who heard the remarks and said it was unclear if he was serious.

The official, David Richardson, has served in the Marines and worked in the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. After he joined FEMA in May, some FEMA workers expressed concern about his lack of experience in emergency management. The remark, coming a day after the start of the Atlantic hurricane season, could deepen those concerns.

The two people who described the comment asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said Richardson was joking. The agency statement said FEMA would be focused on disaster response this hurricane season and said the Trump administration is in the process of reforming an agency it believes is bloated.

The hurricane season, which lasts through Nov. 30, is considered the agency’s most challenging period, during which the country is the most vulnerable to large-scale devastating disasters that can overwhelm state and local disaster managers.

In the same meeting, Richardson said FEMA should plan to respond to this year’s hurricane season the same way it did last year. But employees have expressed concern because of the agency’s reduced staff.

When Richardson started, he told employees that if any of them tried to obstruct his agenda, “I will run right over you.”