FEMA leader vows “whole federal family” will respond to Hurricane Milton amid reports of staff shortages

FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said Wednesday that the agency has a “layered approach” to staffing, along with being just one part of the federal government’s support mechanisms, amid concerns about resources as the agency prepares for powerful Hurricane Milton as it barrels toward Florida shortly after the deadly Hurricane Helene.

“We’re just one part of the team,” Criswell said on “CBS Mornings” early Wednesday. “We bring in the whole federal family, the entire federal government to support the efforts that are going on across all of the states that have been impacted by the storm.”

Debris from Helene, which made landfall on Sept. 26, is still on the ground in Florida as the state braces for Milton. Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that less than 10% of FEMA’s resources will be available to respond in the aftermath of the hurricane. Criswell said the figures represent a specific, disaster-management focused part of the agency’s workforce, while noting that the agency has other employees available. 

“In fact, when everybody signs on to work with us, we make them sign a statement that says every employee is an emergency manager,” Criswell said. “So we start to repurpose some of our steady state employees from headquarters, but we also move people around from non-critical life threatening offices or open field offices that we have to support the immediate needs.”

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall early Thursday, after barreling across as a Category 4 storm — nearing on a Category 5 — on Wednesday morning on its approach toward Florida’s central west coast.

Criswell encouraged people to listen to local officials as Milton approaches, saying there may still be time to get out of the most affected areas and urging that “nobody needs to die from this storm.” 

“This storm is going to be like nothing that they have ever seen before,” Criswell said. She addressed those who want to remain in their homes, saying that they may only need to go a few miles away for safety. 

For those who are unable to evacuate, Criswell said they should pay attention to local officials, charge all devices, and call 911 if immediate assistance is needed. She said additional teams would be in the area to support search and rescue efforts after the storm passes. 

On the issue of resources, Criswell noted that the federal response won’t be without its challenges. 

“I’m not saying it’s not going to be challenging,” she said. “We know that there’s a lot going on with all of these efforts, but we plan for this and we’ve done this before.”