Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

As Major Hurricane Approaches Florida, FEMA Faces Severe Staffing Shortage
The New York Times ^ | Oct. 7, 2024, 2:39 p.m. ET | Christopher Flavelle

Posted on 10/07/2024 6:03:29 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

As Hurricane Milton pushes toward Florida, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is running out of staff members to deploy.

As of Monday morning, just 9 percent of FEMA’s personnel, or 1,217 people, were available to respond to the hurricane or other disasters, according to the agency’s daily operations briefing. To put that into context: Over the previous five years, one-quarter of the agency’s staff was available for deployment at this point in the hurricane season.

Even in 2017 — arguably FEMA’s busiest year in the past decade, after Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston, Hurricane Irma plowed through Florida, and Hurricane Maria plunged Puerto Rico into darkness — FEMA’s staffing reserves at this point in October were 19 percent, more than twice the levels they are at now.

The agency’s leadership stressed that it is well equipped to handle the strains. “FEMA is built for this,” said Leiloni Stainsby, the agency’s deputy associate administrator for response and recovery.

The agency is stretched not just by the brutal aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 200 people and destroyed sections of western North Carolina. Its staff is also responding to flooding and landslides in Vermont, tornadoes in Kansas, the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby in New York and Georgia and the Watch Fire in Arizona.

And those are just the disasters that were declared in the past two weeks.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: 13522employees; fema; milton; staffers
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last
Another useless feral government agency.
1 posted on 10/07/2024 6:03:29 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

They don’t do anything anyway, they sit around.


2 posted on 10/07/2024 6:05:13 PM PDT by roving (Deplorable Erectionists Listless Vessel )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

FEMA needs to mandate more shots. That’ll bring them in.


3 posted on 10/07/2024 6:05:18 PM PDT by T.B. Yoits
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Then get out of the way...


4 posted on 10/07/2024 6:05:21 PM PDT by Openurmind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yep. They’re just getting out in front of their next failure — Hurricane Milton.


5 posted on 10/07/2024 6:06:03 PM PDT by Blurb2350 (posted from my 1500-watt blow dryer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

pre-bunking all the cries about their negligence and uselessness.

follow the money.


6 posted on 10/07/2024 6:07:20 PM PDT by xoxox
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind; roving; E. Pluribus Unum

I m praying - not just for those impacted by Helen and made worse by the Admin et al - that Trump will absolutely shine with Milton.

Why? It’s literally heading north of Mar-A-Lago. If Trump isn’t too distracted, he has staged tons of supplies and personnel in Florida.

Once this beast of a storm does its business, and the govt screws it up (these are the people who brought you the DMV and Afghanistan), Trump could totally shine.


7 posted on 10/07/2024 6:10:11 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s² )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

What? Not enough LGBTQRTY? DEI CRT FEMA types?


8 posted on 10/07/2024 6:14:50 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (May the soy boys, feminazis, and alphabet weirdos choke on the toxic fumes of our masculinity)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoodleBob

Thank you sir. I hadn’t thought about that connection. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?


9 posted on 10/07/2024 6:20:20 PM PDT by Openurmind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

If FEMA doesn’t show up, it just may be an act of God to
spare the people of Florida.


10 posted on 10/07/2024 6:22:26 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (I pledge allegiance to the flag of the USofA & to the Constitutional REPUBLIC for which it stands. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
FEMA is busy right now finding hotels for illegals.

Taking care of illegals is their priority these days.

11 posted on 10/07/2024 6:24:58 PM PDT by Drew68
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

In my recollection FEMA was to be the feds ways to make sure insurance companies expedited claims payments during disasters. So people could recover based on the risk mitigation they paid for and underwritten by the insurance co. Feds cannot do this disaster crap. it is local, regional and statewide and best left to volunteers like Samaritans purse that can be on location in days if not hours.


12 posted on 10/07/2024 6:47:43 PM PDT by kvanbrunt2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: roving

They’re not “workers’...they’re paper pushers.


13 posted on 10/07/2024 7:04:33 PM PDT by Sacajaweau (mY)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind

The Trump Organization did a GoFundMe and raised a million dollars before Trump went to Carolina.


14 posted on 10/07/2024 7:06:45 PM PDT by Sacajaweau (mY)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

How is the Watch Fire an emergency? It was out months ago.


15 posted on 10/07/2024 7:09:36 PM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau

Cool!


16 posted on 10/07/2024 7:12:02 PM PDT by Openurmind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

They are WORSE than useless. They confiscate supplies, order rescuers to stop and try to take credit for rescuing victims in North Carolina. Half their crew has been in hotels in Charlotte planning and arranging favorable publicity for themselves. People in NC are not falling for it.


17 posted on 10/07/2024 7:16:20 PM PDT by ladyjane
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ladyjane

The Tarheels should tar and feather the FEMA thugs.


18 posted on 10/07/2024 7:19:44 PM PDT by lightman (I am a binary Trinitarian. Deal with it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: ladyjane

And, this ...

Blackhawk does a roto wash (extremely close/high winds) over a Cajun Navy supply staging area ...

https://x.com/DC_Draino/status/1843300630485512342

I also read that a short while before this, two black SUVs with flashing lights pulled up to the area, stopped, then drove off.

EVIL!! Who could do this?


19 posted on 10/07/2024 7:22:46 PM PDT by Jane Long (The role of the GOP: to write sharply-worded letters as America becomes a communist hell-hole.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

FEMA’s job is supposed to be to send our tax money back to the states to implement the states’ emergency plans. It is NOT supposed to be micro-managing or regulating what the states do with the money. They shouldn’t need any staff, just somebody to click on the money transfers.

Louisiana screwed that up worse than it already was by not having an emergency plan to cope with Katrina. The feds had to take over from the incompetent governor and mayor. (I’m a Louisianian so I can speak to this.) Once they tasted that power, they were not going back.

Better yet, the federal government should stop taking money from the states only to redistribute it as they wish.

Love,
O2


20 posted on 10/07/2024 7:30:27 PM PDT by omegatoo (You know you'll get your money's worth...become a monthly donor!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-33 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson