FEMA reports it has under 10% of front-line staff available ahead of Hurricane Milton

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has little than 10% of front-line unit disposable for deployment amid preparations for the 2nd large hurricane to deed the Southeast this month, according to the agency's regular operations briefing.

FEMA released a regular briefing connected Wednesday revealing the bureau had lone 8%, oregon 1,115, FEMA unit members presently disposable arsenic preparations proceed for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to deed Florida successful the coming days. This fig represents a important driblet successful availability from a twelvemonth prior, aft an operations briefing from precocious September 2023 showed the bureau had 20% of the aforesaid unit disposable for deployment. 

A FEMA spokesperson indicated to Fox News Digital that the availability numbers released by the bureau are lone successful notation to the cadre of staffers who are portion of FEMA's incidental absorption halfway capacity. They are the archetypal enactment of FEMA staffers to deploy successful immoderate disaster. 

Meanwhile, the FEMA spokesperson pointed retired the bureau has a full workforce of 22,000 staffers it tin tap, arsenic good arsenic resources from different agencies specified arsenic the Department of Homeland Security.  

The fearfulness of front-line FEMA staffing comes amid different concerns astir FEMA's effect to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, including claims that the bureau spent its wealth connected lodging for migrants and is blocking backstage alleviation distributors from entering areas successful North Carolina impacted by Helene.

FEMA HEAD DENIES AGENCY IS SHORT ON MONEY FOR DISASTER RELIEF BECAUSE FUNDS WENT TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS  

In May 2023, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report indicating that, arsenic of the commencement of Fiscal Year 2022, FEMA was understaffed by 35% with an wide staffing spread of astir 6,200 employees. FEMA officials attributed the shortage to "responsibilities owed to COVID-19 and managing the rising catastrophe enactment during the year, which accrued burnout and worker attrition," according to the GAO.

This divided shows DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and a North Carolina nonmigratory aft a storm. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein and Mario Tama/Getty Images)

With Hurricane Helene making a destructive and deadly expanse crossed the south, FEMA has been nether precocious unit to present assistance to those successful need. In the latest update connected FEMA idiosyncratic numbers, the bureau indicated much than 5,600 unit from crossed the national workforce person been deployed, including much than 1,500 from FEMA. Additionally, the bureau noted it has shipped much than 11.5 cardinal meals, much than 12.6 cardinal liters of water, 150 generators and much than 400,000 tarps to the region, portion besides helping thousands of Helene survivors with much than $45 cardinal successful "flexible, upfront" funding.

Despite the existent staffing shortage, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorks insisted during an interrogation with MSNBC that Americans "should remainder assured that FEMA has the resources" indispensable to retrieve from Helene and hole for Milton.

"We person hunt and rescue teams. The Army Corps of Engineers are there. We are ready," Mayorkas said of Florida, successful notation to the national government's mentation for Milton. "FEMA likes to accidental it is, 'FEMA-flexible.' We tin respond to aggregate events astatine a azygous time."

VIDEO RESURFACES SHOWING FEMA PRIORITIZING EQUITY OVER HELPING GREATEST NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN DISASTER RELIEF

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks astatine the regular property briefing astatine the White House.

However, contempt the optimistic effect to concerns astir FEMA resources, Mayorkas did accidental past week during a ceremonial property league that "FEMA does not person the funds to marque it done the [hurricane] season."

Questions astir FEMA backing person been exacerbated by suggestions that the bureau was giving catastrophe alleviation wealth to migrants. FEMA has sent assistance to migrants, but the wealth was portion of the Shelter and Services Program, which remains abstracted from catastrophe alleviation funds. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R–La., acknowledged that the funds were portion of a abstracted programme unrelated to catastrophe relief, but noted that helium didn't deliberation the bureau should beryllium progressive successful the migrant crisis.

SPEAKER JOHNSON ADDRESSES CLAIMS FEMA DIVERTED FUNDS TO IMMIGRATION EFFORTS: ‘AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE DISGUSTED’

"The streams of backing are different, that is not an untrue statement, of course," Johnson told Fox News’ Shannon Bream. "But the occupation is with the American people, see, and what they're frustrated by, is that FEMA should beryllium involved."

Concerns that backstage alleviation distributors are being blocked from entering parts of North Carolina that were impacted person besides circulated. "Some of the reports that I've received done immoderate of my contacts who are trying to supply assistance... they're being told that they request peculiar requirements from FEMA successful bid to participate these definite areas," said Joe Rieck, vice president of My Patriot Supply, an exigency preparedness company. 

Before Helene made landfall, Congress passed a stopgap spending measure that included wealth for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund, but excluded billions successful additionally requested supplemental catastrophe funding. On Friday, President Biden wrote a missive to Congress urging them to supply further backing due to the fact that "while FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund has the resources it requires close present to conscionable contiguous needs, the money does look a shortfall astatine the extremity of the year," helium said. 

Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with Fox News Digital aft helium toured areas successful Florida and Georgia deed by Hurricane Helene. (Getty Images)

"Without further funding, FEMA would beryllium required to forego longer-term betterment activities successful favour of gathering urgent needs," Biden added. "The Congress should supply FEMA further resources to debar forcing that benignant of unnecessary trade-off and to springiness the communities we service the certainty of knowing that assistance volition beryllium ongoing, some for the short- and long-term."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

When pressed astir reconvening the House for a peculiar league to o.k. further funding, Johnson suggested FEMA has the funds it needs close present and, successful bid to o.k. further funding, Congress needs requests from idiosyncratic states to tabulate however overmuch to provide. 

"The mode the process works is the states, section authorities, they set together, they measure the damages, they nonstop that to the national authorities and it's each worked done successful that manner," Johnson responded erstwhile pressed astir whether helium had plans to reconvene Congress for the matter. "It volition instrumentality immoderate clip to tabulate this tempest – it's 1 of the biggest successful our past – truthful a batch of that enactment is being done immediately. I deliberation the timing of that volition astir apt correspond erstwhile Congress is expected to instrumentality to league close aft the election."