Free Republic

State crisis managers say severe cuts to federal security grants, restrictions on money intended for preparedness and funding delays tied to litigation are posing a growing risk to their ability to respond to emergencies. It’s all causing confusion, frustration and concern. The federal government shutdown isn’t helping. “Every day we remain in this grant purgatory reduces the time available to responsibly and effectively spend these critical funds,” said Kiele Amundson, communications director at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. The uncertainty has led some emergency management agencies to hold off on filling vacant positions and make rushed decisions on important training...

For years, William Zammer Jr. has relied on 100 seasonal foreign employees to turn down beds, boil lobsters and serve cocktails at the restaurants, golf course and inn he owns on Cape Cod and in nearby Plymouth. This summer, however, the foreign workers will not be returning, and Mr. Zammer, like other seasonal employers across the nation, is scrambling to find replacements. “It’s a major crisis,” he said. “We’re very short on work force. We’ll be looking at opening a little later, closing a little earlier, looking at how we do our menus.” Mr. Zammer is caught up in a...