As major hurricane approached Florida, FEMA faced severe staffing shortage

Hurricane Milton was the second most powerful hurricane recorded in the Gulf of Mexico and the fifth most intense ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. However, according to a recent New York Times article, only 9 percent of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel were available for deployment to support local communities. This is largely due to increasing strain on FEMA, which not only recently responded to Hurricane Helene but is reportedly supporting more than 100 major disasters across the country. While the agency has safeguards in place for capacity situations, the article argues that “the most immediate problem for FEMA is finding enough people.” Disaster emergency professionals at all levels will be needed as disasters increase in frequency and severity. 

Read more to learn about the emergency workforce shortage and how a disaster resilience program, such as our Master of Science in Disaster Resilience Leadership (MS-DRL), Certificate in Disaster Resilience Leadership, or Master of Social Work (MSW) and MS-DRL dual degree program, can prepare you to lead in disaster management and recovery.