Congress passed a stopgap spending bill on September 25 to keep government agencies funded into December and avoid a shutdown.

For the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the arrival of Hurricane Milton comes at a precarious moment. The agency tasked with coordinating federal disaster relief is not only already dealing with the massive damage left behind less than two weeks ago by Hurricane Helene in states like North Carolina,

Fewer than 10 percent of the agency’s disaster workers are available to respond to Hurricane Milton and other calamities.