A GAO analyst says FEMA is stretched thin as Hurricane Milton approaches

A GAO analyst says FEMA is stretched thin as Hurricane Milton approaches. But FEMA officials say it is fully capable of juggling concurrent disasters.

With the second major hurricane in the past two weeks now barreling toward Florida, state and federal emergency management officials were scrambling Tuesday to put personnel, equipment and supplies in place.

Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency — amid ongoing concern over what’s expected to be the strongest storm surge in decades — insisted it is ready for Hurricane Milton’s expected landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday and is fully capable of juggling concurrent disasters.

“Yes, we have the resources that we need, both for the Helene response and for Hurricane Milton,” Keith Turi, FEMA’s acting associate administrator, said this week. “I will defer to the White House on the timing of when we may need additional resources, but we want to assure everyone we have the resources we need to respond to both Helene and Milton.”

Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate also downplayed any fears that FEMA isn’t up for the daunting challenge it faces, telling NBC News this week that the “agency is built to manage multiple disasters.” 

Not everyone is as confident, however.

https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/hurricanes/hurricane-milton-helene-fema-staffing-shortage-rcna174493

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