The Department of Homeland Security has deployed 239 federal volunteers to work in regions recovering from recent hurricanes in the 13 days since the program was opened to all government agencies.
“We have 906 total, non-DHS volunteers registered and ready to deploy,” a DHS spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
A total of 2,195 people have been deployed as part of the Surge Capacity Force to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in states hit by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, the official added.
The remaining volunteers are registered and able to be deployed at a moment’s notice. DHS said it is still receiving applications from volunteers.
On Sept. 13, acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke asked for the first time in history that all federal agencies contribute staff and expertise to the DHS Surge Capacity Force, which has been used to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies such as the hurricanes that battered Texas, Louisiana, and Florida over the last few weeks.
Duke’s memo said volunteers would have to be able to be deployed in less than 48 hours and have previously undergone a personnel security investigation. They also need their supervisors’ approval, and a government-issued travel card.
The federal workers have been deployed in waves and sent to a personnel mobilization center in Anniston, Ala., where they receive training in logistics, public assistance, individual assistance, disaster survivor assistance, information technology, human resources, or finance, depending on the assignment. Deployments last no more than 45 days, as has been the policy for the Surge Capacity Force policy.
DHS said it will deploy additional people to various field assignments as they are needed.
