Florida Army National Guard Sgt. Austin Fennecken, left, and Sgt. Ryan Leidle, with 3rd Battalion, 116th Field Artillery Regiment, check in with a resident affected by Hurricane Milton during a survey and assist patrol in Kissimmee, Florida, Oct. 10, 2024.
Let’s clear something up, folks: when a hurricane slams into Florida, FEMA isn’t rolling in like a cavalry to fix everything. Florida’s state government is the top dog here, with Gov. Ron DeSantis at the helm, making the big calls with his local team. But FEMA’s still got skin in the game — along with a band of other federal agencies everyone seems to forget about.
Cue Craig Fugate, the guy who’s run the show both in Florida and at FEMA, and the one who can actually tell you what’s what. Fugate says people throw around “FEMA” like it’s some kind of magic disaster response genie, but really, the federal aid scene is more like a jigsaw puzzle. When Florida asks for help, FEMA sends out search-and-rescue teams, gets the power back on, and even covers hotel stays for those whose homes are wrecked. They’re like the first-aid kit in a big, messy recovery operation.
Remember that fast $750 they handed out after Hurricane Helene? That was FEMA cash meant to get people out of a bind. But it wasn’t a payday; it was for water, food, basic stuff. The bulk of recovery dollars flow through local officials and are fed by multiple federal pockets, not just FEMA.
Which brings us to the Small Business Administration, or SBA. This is where people often get the story twisted. SBA offers low-interest loans — that’s loans, not free cash — to folks who own homes but don’t have insurance. President Biden is sweating this fund hard, recently saying Congress needs to get back on the clock and shore it up. “We’re going to need billions here,” Biden’s pushing, “and this isn’t the time to take a holiday.”
And it’s not just the SBA and FEMA holding up Florida. The Department of Agriculture cuts checks for farmers, and Sen. Rick Scott wants that cash to come as block grants so the state can divvy it up as it sees fit. Then there’s HUD, chipping in for affordable housing, and the Department of Transportation, rolling in with highway repair funds.
Florida’s Congress folks, led by Scott and others, are hammering Speaker Mike Johnson to get lawmakers back to work fast. But Johnson’s holding firm: no action until after the election. Meanwhile, as the damage tally grows, Fugate’s take is simple: FEMA isn’t built to make a state whole after every storm. It’s there to assist, but full recovery requires dipping into a buffet of other federal programs and plenty of patience from Floridians.
Here’s the rundown:
The National Guard: The Swiss Army Knife of State-Level Disaster Response
The National Guard operates under the governor’s command in each state, making them the first line of defense when a storm hits. They’re everywhere: sandbagging to prevent floods, clearing roads, setting up emergency shelters, and distributing supplies. Think of them as the muscle for all those local recovery plans.
During big storms, the Guard can get activated fast — even before FEMA’s involved. They bring essential resources like helicopters, high-water vehicles, and medical teams, which can be critical when evacuations, search and rescue, or medical aid are top priorities. And the kicker? They know the terrain. These are locals, Floridians helping Floridians, and that local knowledge matters when roads are underwater, and communications are down.
Active-Duty Military: Federal Backup When the S#*& Hits the Fan
If a hurricane’s devastation goes nuclear, and even the National Guard is outmatched, the governor or FEMA can ask the federal government for military support. Here’s where active-duty troops come in. This could mean the Army Corps of Engineers bringing in their expertise to fix busted levees or flooded infrastructure or Navy and Marine units handling logistics and evacuation from the air or sea.
But here’s the catch: the regular military only steps in when FEMA and state resources are maxed out. They don’t roll in without orders; it’s a tightly coordinated request process with FEMA, the Pentagon, and the White House giving the green light.
So, while FEMA’s the coordinator, the National Guard is the go-to muscle, and the active-duty military is the last-resort sledgehammer when things go beyond civilian capacity. In Florida, this tiered response system is how they keep a lid on chaos.
