States Could Run Short of Emergency Relief as Government Shutdown Continues

Tropical weather activity continues in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of America as funding remains held up in the Senate.

A neighborhood still flooded from Hurricane Milton prepares to have the FEMA Disaster Recover Center convert to a polling location for the general election in Ridge Manor, Fla. on Nov. 4, 2024. AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File

Florida and the Southeastern United States could be in for some stormy weather over the coming days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

However, those states could be left to face the storms without federal emergency relief if the government shutdown continues.

“We’ve got activity in the Atlantic and the National Flood Insurance Program can’t write new, or renew existing, policies,” Florida’s former chief financial officer and current congressman, Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), said on X on Oct. 4.

“It’s time to stop holding America hostage.”

Patronis tied his message to a morning update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), which showed three areas of concerning weather, also known as disturbances. One was tagged off the coast of Southeast Florida, another was spotted in the Gulf of America off the coast of Louisiana, and a third was spotted moving westward near the Cabo Verde Islands.

The two disturbances closest to the United States currently show a near-zero percent chance of developing into a named tropical storm or hurricane, but the hurricane center still warns of disorganized thunderstorms and the possibility of flash flooding in southeast Florida.

However, the third disturbance has a 50 percent chance of developing into this hurricane season’s latest storm within the next seven days. The hurricane center stated that it could become a tropical depression by the middle of next week.

Although it appears to be relatively calm this year, early October has featured catastrophic hurricanes several times in the past, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Hurricane Milton, for example, followed right behind Hurricane Helene, delivering the second half of a double blow to Florida on Oct. 9, 2024. Hurricane Delta made landfall in Louisiana on Oct. 9, 2020.

Hurricane Michael destroyed the Florida Panhandle, making landfall on Oct. 10, 2018, and Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc on North Carolina’s coastline and much of the Southeastern United States from Oct. 8, 2016, through Oct. 10, 2016.

These warnings suggest the possibility that a named tropical storm or hurricane could strike while the federal government remains shut down.

The shutdown could also result in thousands of government employees being furloughed, which White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said was a consequence of the Trump administration’s commitment to “restoring fiscal sanity.”

“We are $37 trillion in debt, and the federal government is currently shut down,” she told members of the press on Oct. 3 during a White House press briefing.

“There is no more money coming into the federal government’s coffers. And as you’ve also seen since the beginning, in January, this administration is focusing on waste, fraud, and abuse. And so Democrats have given this administration an unenviable choice to have to take a look at the balance sheet and identify where these cuts and layoffs can be made.”

This means that government agencies are limited or unable to perform operations related to tracking and responding to hurricanes.

The NHC is a part of the National Weather Service, which falls under the NOAA.

The NOAA is one of several federal agencies that play a critical role in hurricane monitoring and response, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Guard.

The NOAA pinned a post to the top of its X account on Oct. 1, stating: “The U.S. Government is closed & this account will not be updated. @NOAA websites & social media necessary to protect lives & property WILL be maintained.”

Those websites still running include those for the weather service and the hurricane center.

The Commerce Department, which oversees the NOAA, confirmed this, stating that it had “prioritized critical functions to remain fully operational,” including continuation of the weather service’s 24/7 operations across the country and U.S. territories “to protect lives and property.”

However, the NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, which oversees the hurricane hunter flights that help determine each storm’s strength, has been shuttered.

FEMA has also been affected. While its Disaster Relief Fund currently stands at about $10 billion, the lack of new funding could put that fund at risk of being exhausted in the event of an extended shutdown.

“Due to the lapse in federal funding, portions of this website may not be updated and some non-disaster assistance transactions submitted via the website may not be processed or responded to until after appropriations are enacted,” FEMA stated on its website.

This cessation of funding also comes after FEMA suspended the distribution of emergency preparedness funds nationwide until population data was updated to exclude the number of illegal immigrants who have been deported so far during President Donald Trump’s second term.

FEMA’s preparedness grants are distributed based on population, and the correction comes after concerns of inflated payments came to light and after Trump called for a new census to be conducted.

However, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced, just before the shutdown, that nearly $3.5 billion was returned to American communities in the form of non-disaster grants.

The goal, according to the Sept. 29 statement, was to empower “state and local leaders to better prepare for emergencies like fires, floods, tornadoes, cyber incidents, and terrorist attacks.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.