REPORT: FEMA reports big drop in available frontline workers ahead of Hurricane Milton

October 9, 2024

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From Fox News: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has less than 10% of front-line staff available for deployment amid preparations for the second major hurricane to hit the Southeast this month, according to the agency’s daily operations briefing.

FEMA released a daily briefing on Wednesday revealing the agency had only 8%, or 1,115, FEMA staff members currently available as preparations continue for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to hit Florida in the coming days. This number represents a significant drop in availability from a year prior, after an operations briefing from late September 2023 showed the agency had 20% of the same staff available for deployment.

A FEMA spokesperson indicated to Fox News Digital that the availability numbers released by the agency are only in reference to the cadre of staffers who are part of FEMA’s incident management core capacity. They are the first line of FEMA staffers to deploy in any disaster.

Meanwhile, the FEMA spokesperson pointed out the agency has a total workforce of 22,000 staffers it can tap, as well as resources from other agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security.

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