Following Hurricane Helene and now in the midst of Hurricane Milton, the New York Times has posted several articles that point to the limits on U.S. capacity to respond to multiple disasters.
On October 7th, the Times reported that only 9% of FEMA's personnel were available to respond to Hurricane Milton, a number significantly lower than in previous years. While FEMA claims to be able to meet the challenge, the article quotes former FEMA Administrator Brock Long as saying that "The Agency is simultaneously supporting over 100 major disaster declarations..."
On October 9th, the Times reported that Small Business Administration (SBA) officials had indicated that it was runnning out of funding for disaster loans. The Administrator of the SBA, Isabel Guzman, expects the $100 million fund to be exhausted before the Congress reconvenes on November 12.
On October 10th, the newspaper ran a story on the rationing of IV fluids as the result of the flooding a North Carolina plant that produces approximately 60% of the nation's supply. Another plant that makes approximaely one-quarter of the nation's supply is located in Daytona Beach, Florida.