Explainer: More eyes turn to FEMA as Hurricane Milton approaches Reuters

By Doina Chiacu

(Reuters) – Hurricanes Milton and Helene are putting new pressure on the federal government’s emergency response agency FEMA, which is already strapped for cash, battered by a politically fueled disinformation campaign and burdened by past failures to manage massive storms.

Hurricane Milton expanded on Tuesday as it passed Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula en route to Florida’s densely populated Tampa Bay area, still reeling from devastating Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago.

WHAT IS FEMA?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is the US government agency whose mission is to help people before, during, and after disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods.

Its reputation was damaged by its mishandling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and it has struggled to recover.

The agency has a workforce of 20,000 that can swell to more than 50,000 active members during major disasters, according to its website. It has 10 regional offices and the ability to coordinate resources across the federal government.

Officially created in 1979, it became part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2004.

FEMA STAFF

FEMA says it is currently supporting 111 major disasters and 16 emergency declarations. According to his daily operations briefing, only 9 percent of the disaster response workforce is available for Milton.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that the agency is ready to respond to the needs of people in Milton’s path. FEMA has employment options, including reassigning people from its long-term recovery offices to support immediate needs, she said.

The agency also can access DHS’s “growth capacity” that allows it to hire people from agencies within the department, Criswell said. “We have these levels of staffing patterns because we know we’re going to have to deal with multiple events at once, as well,” she told CNN.

FEMA FUNDING

Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of Homeland Security, told reporters on Oct. 2 that FEMA did not have enough funds for the rest of the hurricane season, which runs from June to November.

A group of senators from US states in the path of hurricanes sent a letter to Senate leaders last week, citing the need for additional money for FEMA by the end of this year. Speaker Mike Johnson would not commit to bringing back the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to increase emergency aid funding before the Nov. 5 election.

FEMA is providing aid to hurricane victims from a disaster relief fund that received $20.3 billion from Congress for the current fiscal year. However, at the request of the Biden administration, the agency is being allowed to spend that money faster than anticipated due to the severity of recent disasters.

DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN

In addition to real-life disasters, the agency has struggled with a series of false rumors about how its funds were used.

Former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, used federal emergency money to help people who were in the country illegally. US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene went so far as to say that officials are controlling the weather.

FEMA has been the target of so many falsehoods that it created a rumor response page on its website to dispel them.

One entry addresses diversion concerns:

“Rumor: FEMA disaster response funding diverted to support international efforts or border issues.

“Fact: This is false. No money is diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a fund dedicated to disaster efforts. redirected to other, non-disaster-related efforts’.

FEMA FAILURES

The U.S. disaster agency has been widely criticized over failed hurricane emergency responses, including in Puerto Rico in 2017 when it was hit by Hurricane Maria.

Residents accused then-President Trump of being slow to send aid after Maria and being clumsy in his public statements once it was clear the US territory was devastated.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and flooded parts of the city as residents crammed into ill-prepared shelters.

Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and caused more than 1,800 deaths. It also dented the reputation of FEMA, which was heavily criticized for its response.