### FEMA Grapples With Staffing Crisis as Hurricane Milton Threatens Florida

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is facing a critical shortage of disaster response personnel as Hurricane Milton approaches Tampa with alarming speeds of up to 175 miles per hour. FEMA's limited resources come at a crucial time when only 9 percent of its personnel, roughly 1,217 workers, are on hand to manage the potential devastation and other unfolding calamities.

This stark situation contrasts sharply with previous years. Over the past five years, about 25 percent of FEMA's workforce was typically available for deployment during the hurricane season. In 2017, one of the busiest years for the agency with major hurricanes like Harvey, Irma, and Maria, staffing levels were at 19 percent in early October—more than double the current levels.

FEMA maintains that it is prepared to handle the upcoming challenges despite the staffing shortages. "FEMA is built for this," asserted Leiloni Stainsby, the deputy associate administrator for response and recovery.

The agency has been stretched thin not only due to Hurricane Helene, which recently claimed over 200 lives and wreaked havoc across western North Carolina but also because of multiple other ongoing disasters. FEMA's personnel are currently engaged in managing flooding and landslides in Vermont, tornado aftermaths in Kansas, the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby in New York and Georgia, and fires in Arizona.

As Brock Long, former FEMA administrator under the Trump administration, highlighted, "The scale of staffing required for these operations is immense," noting the over 100 major disaster declarations the agency is currently supporting.

FEMA's ability to efficiently respond to Hurricane Milton and other simultaneous natural disasters is under significant strain, raising concerns about the preparedness and resiliency of the agency during a hyperactive hurricane season.