FEMA Failed to Respond to Nearly Half of Its Disaster Aid Calls
Hurricanes Helene and Milton have overwhelmed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, leading to challenges in managing phone calls from survivors and maintaining adequate staffing levels.
TroibNews 
HENDERSONVILLE, North Carolina — Last week, Mike Toomey reached out to a federal helpline to seek disaster aid after Hurricane Helene flooded his home in western North Carolina. Instead of assistance, he encountered a recording.
“They said I was 675th in line,” Toomey, a painter dressed in a spattered shirt, shared while waiting outside a federal recovery center in Hendersonville.
Countless individuals across the nation attempting to recover from various disasters have faced difficulties connecting with federal call centers, often enduring long hold times since Helene struck southern Appalachia last month.
The call centers have been overwhelmed by both Helene and Hurricane Milton, resulting in nearly half of the incoming calls going unanswered during a recent week. For those calls that were picked up, the average wait time exceeded one hour.
The performance of the disaster agency in providing financial relief has emerged as a significant issue in the presidential election. Recently, former President Donald Trump campaigned in swamped swing states like Georgia and North Carolina, making misleading claims about the Biden administration's response to these crises. However, the data reflects that the hurricane response genuinely faced challenges against a backdrop of frequent disasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which released the call data on Tuesday, also revealed staffing challenges a month after hurricanes severely impacted states from Florida to Tennessee.
According to FEMA, response capacities are almost non-existent for any further major disasters. This comes two weeks after the Small Business Administration depleted its funds for issuing low-interest disaster loans for small businesses and households.
As of Wednesday, the agency reported that it has distributed over $1.2 billion in emergency aid to survivors from the six states affected by the hurricanes. This announcement coincided with Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks meeting with state and local officials in North Carolina.
Following hateful comments made at a Trump rally last Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign released ads criticizing Trump for his handling of Hurricane Maria’s aftermath in Puerto Rico back in 2017.
FEMA has been grappling with its response to catastrophic events like Helene and Milton since at least 2005, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in almost 1,400 deaths in Louisiana.
An analysis conducted by FEMA revealed that during Hurricane Sandy’s impact in 2012 on New York and New Jersey, the agency's call centers “did not have the staff or technology needed to keep pace with survivors’ requests for information.”
In 2017, during a series of rapid hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria—FEMA's workforce was “overwhelmed,” as highlighted by the Government Accountability Office. That period saw the agency's call centers failing to answer 2.3 million calls over eight weeks, hampered by “low morale and inadequate training.”
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell expressed the agency’s increasing strain not long after Helene struck Florida last month. “I have over 100 open disasters,” Criswell noted. “We’re seeing more disasters exceeding the state capability” to respond.
Brock Long, a former FEMA Administrator, emphasized the agency's burdens with numerous disasters and new responsibilities, including a significant role in managing the government’s pandemic response.
“We’ve been redlining since Harvey and have never recovered,” said Long, who ran FEMA from 2017 to 2019. Residing in Hickory, North Carolina, he also experienced a four-day power outage at his home.
“You’re seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of FEMA employees being put out in the field to essentially run all aspects of disaster recovery. That’s got to change,” he added, as the executive chairman of Hagerty Consulting, a firm specializing in disaster management.
US disaster management is ‘in trouble’ as FEMA has faced an upsurge in phone calls from individuals seeking assistance post-Helene and Milton. Agency spokesperson Daniel Llargués explained that the agency is committed to not rushing disaster survivors off the phone, stating, “We’re going to stay on the phone with them as long as they need to.”
FEMA’s employees work to connect callers with pertinent programs, such as payments for temporary housing and assistance with minor home repairs. “We want to make sure you understand the programs to see which program you’re best qualified for,” Llargués added.
The data provided by FEMA indicates that 900,000 calls were made to its call centers during the period from October 14 to October 20. Nearly 47% of these calls went unanswered. For those who got through, the average wait time was one hour and five minutes.
However, during the following week, starting on October 21, the situation improved. FEMA received 500,000 calls, answering 68.5% of them, with an average wait time of 25 minutes.
This call data encompasses 19 disasters nationwide, including areas impacted by Helene in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, in addition to Hurricane Milton in Florida.
In the FEMA Daily Operations Briefing, it was noted that the agency is managing 110 major disasters as of Tuesday, yet only has 530 workers available for new tasks. Additionally, all 55 federal coordinating officers were either “assigned” or “unavailable.”
On its busiest day after the hurricanes in 2017—September 23—FEMA had 1,752 workers available to handle calls. “They have very little capacity left to handle another multibillion-dollar event,” Long pointed out.
Before the impacts of Helene and Milton further strained FEMA’s workforce, lawmakers had already voiced concerns about the agency’s slow response times. Vermont’s all-Democratic congressional delegation wrote to FEMA on September 13, expressing that flood victims “continue to face delays, confusing and conflicting guidance, and inefficiencies in getting clear answers and timely responses.”
In response to the ongoing crisis, the Biden administration has ramped up its involvement across the six hurricane-affected states, particularly in North Carolina. FEMA has established 21 disaster recovery centers across 39 counties in the state, which is home to 1.7 million households.
Florida has similarly set up 21 centers, but they are distributed across 52 counties serving 6.1 million residents, according to an analysis by PMG's E&E News.
While Long was head of FEMA, he questioned whether the agency should increase its financial thresholds for states to qualify for federal disaster aid to help alleviate its overwhelming workload. Presently, members of Congress are aiming to expand FEMA’s responsibilities.
“There are 10-12 bills to strap new programs to the rusty old bicycle,” Long stated. “The business model of emergency management in this country is in trouble. It’s overloaded.”
During a town meeting at a hotel conference room in Lake Lure, one of North Carolina’s most affected areas, a FEMA official assured an overflow crowd of survivors that support would persist. “We are going to be here with you all until the state kicks us out,” the official said.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
“They said I was 675th in line,” Toomey, a painter dressed in a spattered shirt, shared while waiting outside a federal recovery center in Hendersonville.
Countless individuals across the nation attempting to recover from various disasters have faced difficulties connecting with federal call centers, often enduring long hold times since Helene struck southern Appalachia last month.
The call centers have been overwhelmed by both Helene and Hurricane Milton, resulting in nearly half of the incoming calls going unanswered during a recent week. For those calls that were picked up, the average wait time exceeded one hour.
The performance of the disaster agency in providing financial relief has emerged as a significant issue in the presidential election. Recently, former President Donald Trump campaigned in swamped swing states like Georgia and North Carolina, making misleading claims about the Biden administration's response to these crises. However, the data reflects that the hurricane response genuinely faced challenges against a backdrop of frequent disasters.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which released the call data on Tuesday, also revealed staffing challenges a month after hurricanes severely impacted states from Florida to Tennessee.
According to FEMA, response capacities are almost non-existent for any further major disasters. This comes two weeks after the Small Business Administration depleted its funds for issuing low-interest disaster loans for small businesses and households.
As of Wednesday, the agency reported that it has distributed over $1.2 billion in emergency aid to survivors from the six states affected by the hurricanes. This announcement coincided with Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks meeting with state and local officials in North Carolina.
Following hateful comments made at a Trump rally last Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign released ads criticizing Trump for his handling of Hurricane Maria’s aftermath in Puerto Rico back in 2017.
FEMA has been grappling with its response to catastrophic events like Helene and Milton since at least 2005, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in almost 1,400 deaths in Louisiana.
An analysis conducted by FEMA revealed that during Hurricane Sandy’s impact in 2012 on New York and New Jersey, the agency's call centers “did not have the staff or technology needed to keep pace with survivors’ requests for information.”
In 2017, during a series of rapid hurricanes—Harvey, Irma, and Maria—FEMA's workforce was “overwhelmed,” as highlighted by the Government Accountability Office. That period saw the agency's call centers failing to answer 2.3 million calls over eight weeks, hampered by “low morale and inadequate training.”
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell expressed the agency’s increasing strain not long after Helene struck Florida last month. “I have over 100 open disasters,” Criswell noted. “We’re seeing more disasters exceeding the state capability” to respond.
Brock Long, a former FEMA Administrator, emphasized the agency's burdens with numerous disasters and new responsibilities, including a significant role in managing the government’s pandemic response.
“We’ve been redlining since Harvey and have never recovered,” said Long, who ran FEMA from 2017 to 2019. Residing in Hickory, North Carolina, he also experienced a four-day power outage at his home.
“You’re seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of FEMA employees being put out in the field to essentially run all aspects of disaster recovery. That’s got to change,” he added, as the executive chairman of Hagerty Consulting, a firm specializing in disaster management.
US disaster management is ‘in trouble’ as FEMA has faced an upsurge in phone calls from individuals seeking assistance post-Helene and Milton. Agency spokesperson Daniel Llargués explained that the agency is committed to not rushing disaster survivors off the phone, stating, “We’re going to stay on the phone with them as long as they need to.”
FEMA’s employees work to connect callers with pertinent programs, such as payments for temporary housing and assistance with minor home repairs. “We want to make sure you understand the programs to see which program you’re best qualified for,” Llargués added.
The data provided by FEMA indicates that 900,000 calls were made to its call centers during the period from October 14 to October 20. Nearly 47% of these calls went unanswered. For those who got through, the average wait time was one hour and five minutes.
However, during the following week, starting on October 21, the situation improved. FEMA received 500,000 calls, answering 68.5% of them, with an average wait time of 25 minutes.
This call data encompasses 19 disasters nationwide, including areas impacted by Helene in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, in addition to Hurricane Milton in Florida.
In the FEMA Daily Operations Briefing, it was noted that the agency is managing 110 major disasters as of Tuesday, yet only has 530 workers available for new tasks. Additionally, all 55 federal coordinating officers were either “assigned” or “unavailable.”
On its busiest day after the hurricanes in 2017—September 23—FEMA had 1,752 workers available to handle calls. “They have very little capacity left to handle another multibillion-dollar event,” Long pointed out.
Before the impacts of Helene and Milton further strained FEMA’s workforce, lawmakers had already voiced concerns about the agency’s slow response times. Vermont’s all-Democratic congressional delegation wrote to FEMA on September 13, expressing that flood victims “continue to face delays, confusing and conflicting guidance, and inefficiencies in getting clear answers and timely responses.”
In response to the ongoing crisis, the Biden administration has ramped up its involvement across the six hurricane-affected states, particularly in North Carolina. FEMA has established 21 disaster recovery centers across 39 counties in the state, which is home to 1.7 million households.
Florida has similarly set up 21 centers, but they are distributed across 52 counties serving 6.1 million residents, according to an analysis by PMG's E&E News.
While Long was head of FEMA, he questioned whether the agency should increase its financial thresholds for states to qualify for federal disaster aid to help alleviate its overwhelming workload. Presently, members of Congress are aiming to expand FEMA’s responsibilities.
“There are 10-12 bills to strap new programs to the rusty old bicycle,” Long stated. “The business model of emergency management in this country is in trouble. It’s overloaded.”
During a town meeting at a hotel conference room in Lake Lure, one of North Carolina’s most affected areas, a FEMA official assured an overflow crowd of survivors that support would persist. “We are going to be here with you all until the state kicks us out,” the official said.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
