WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurricane Milton is set to slam Florida on Wednesday evening — the second hurricane to strike in two weeks — and the federal agency tasked with responding to disasters is once again positioning supplies and personnel where they’re needed and coordinating with state and local officials.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has faced rampant disinformation about its response to Hurricane Helene, which hit Florida on Sept. 26 before heading north and leaving a trail of destruction across six states.
Critics allege the agency isn’t doing enough to help survivors, while false rumors circulating ahead of the presidential election include claims that people taking federal relief money could see their land seized or that FEMA is halting trucks full of supplies.
Meanwhile, there’s also just a lot of confusion about what the agency does and doesn’t do when disaster strikes.
Now, with Milton set to bring a life-threatening storm surge to the Tampa Bay region, many people are wondering whether they should see FEMA workers on the ground right away and what impact the agency is having if they don’t.
Here’s a closer look at what the agency does during emergencies:
What is FEMA’s role in a disaster?
State or tribal governments can reach out to ask for federal assistance. But the disaster has to exceed their ability to respond, meaning that not all disasters end up getting federal help. The president approves disaster declarations.
Once an emergency is declared — like in the case of Milton and Helene — that can unleash various types of aid from FEMA. Much of what FEMA does is give out money in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and for years to come.
That can include assistance to individuals affected by disasters, such as payments of $750 to pay for their immediate needs — like medicine or diapers — after a storm or earthquake hits. It can also mean additional money to rent an apartment because their home is destroyed or to pay for a storage unit.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, FEMA so far has given out $344 million. But the agency has faced complaints in the past that the process is too bureaucratic.
In hard-hit Asheville, North Carolina, Mayor Esther Manheimer said Wednesday that local officials had heard about people whose claims had been denied by FEMA and were working with the agency to solve the problem.
“We will be meeting with our FEMA representatives here in Asheville and Buncombe County later today to discuss the number of denials and to secure a solution and get one in place as fast as possible,” she said.
Another big part of FEMA’s disaster aid goes to public assistance. This is money to reimburse local governments for things like overtime for police or firefighters or to remove the mountains of debris left after storms.
The agency also gives longer-term money to rebuild public infrastructure like schools, roads or libraries that are damaged by earthquakes or floods.
Is FEMA in charge of every disaster?
No. Experts and the agency stress that FEMA isn’t assuming control of Milton’s response. A lot of that falls to the state and affected communities.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who led New York City’s Emergency Management Department before taking the top job at the federal agency, said FEMA’s role is to support the work of local emergency managers.
“We do not come in and take over any response. I have been a local emergency manager. I know the steps that they are taking right now to prepare for this storm,” she said at a briefing Wednesday, when she was heading from North Carolina to Florida.
“Our role is to augment the incredible work that our local emergency managers, our first responders and our state partners are doing each and every day … and make sure that they have the resources that they need,” Criswell said.
Craig Fugate, who was FEMA administrator during the Obama administration and before that was Florida’s director of emergency management, said FEMA really plays a supporting role in the initial response.
“Disaster response belongs to the states not the federal government,” Fugate said. In those emergency situations, it’s usually governors who are in charge, he said.
Does FEMA send supplies or personnel?
The agency sends water, tarps, food and staff. In an event like a hurricane — when there’s time to prepare — the agency coordinates with state and local officials about where to put those supplies before the storm arrives.
For Milton, the agency says it has five staging bases where it stationed food and water ahead of time, including 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water.
FEMA also has sent search and rescue teams and helps bring in expertise from across the federal government as needed. For example, two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams are in Florida to help with the Milton response. Other supplies have been brought in, like high-water vehicles from the Department of Defense as well as ambulances and helicopters.
Ahead of Milton making landfall, the agency said it has 1,000 responders on the ground already. Many of them were there working on previous disasters and are pivoting to help with Milton.
When asked about complaints that FEMA had not gotten to some areas of North Carolina hit by Helene, Criswell said Wednesday that just because residents don’t see someone in a FEMA shirt, that doesn’t mean the agency is not supporting them.
For example, she said much of the water and food that is being delivered through the National Guard and other agencies comes from FEMA’s stockpiles.
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AP reporter Sarah Brumfield contributed from Washington.
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