Abby McIlraith joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency straight out of college, calling it her dream job. But after seeing disaster victims struggle to get help, she signed an open letter warning the agency was putting the public at risk. Soon after, she was placed on leave.
Now, as FEMA faces a Department of Homeland Security shutdown, staffing losses, and calls to shift disaster response to states, her story is raising bigger questions about whether the agency is ready for what’s next.
McIlraith tells her story to Here & Now‘s Scott Tong.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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