MARYLAND — The Federal Emergency Management Agency reinstated 14 employees who had been on paid administrative leave for eight months and extended contracts for some term-limited workers as it prepares for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season. The moves address staffing issues within the agency's workforce ahead of the season, which begins in June 2026.

The 14 employees were notified by email that an investigation into a public letter of dissent they had signed was closed and that they were to return to work. The letter, known as the Katrina Declaration, was signed by more than 190 current and former FEMA employees in August 2025, but the 14 reinstated workers were the only active employees who included their names. They were placed on indefinite paid administrative leave one day after the declaration's release on August 25, 2025.

The declaration called out policy decisions by President Donald Trump's administration that signatories said risked a catastrophe like the one seen after Hurricane Katrina. It named the reassignment of some FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator as stipulated by law, and cuts to grants, training and the FEMA workforce. It also called for FEMA to be removed from the Department of Homeland Security and restored to a Cabinet-level agency.

The 14 staffers were reinstated in early December 2025 and then placed on leave again after one day. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said that reinstatement was caused by "bureaucrats acting outside of their authority."

Abby McIlraith, a FEMA emergency management specialist, returned to work at a FEMA office in Maryland on Thursday and was waiting to regain access to her work devices. "I feel pretty vindicated, and like we did the right thing," McIlraith said. She said her time away was "a waste of taxpayer dollars."

FEMA has 10,000 term-limited disaster workers, who make up roughly half of its staff. The Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees, known as CORE, work on two- to four-year assignments that FEMA traditionally renewed routinely. At the start of 2026, FEMA stopped renewing some CORE contracts as they expired and extended others only 90 days at a time. FEMA's surge workforce also includes 7,000 reservists with contracts expiring May 2, 2026.

An internal email said CORE employees with contracts ending between January and May 2026 that had been extended for 90 days may be reappointed for up to one year, and that eligible reservists will be renewed for two years. "Our readiness directly impacts our ability to help Americans in need, and every employee plays a critical role in meeting these challenges," the email said. A lawsuit is challenging the dismissals of hundreds of CORE staff between early 2026 and late January 2026.

"Under new leadership, FEMA is addressing outstanding personnel actions to ensure workforce stability and a strong, deployable surge force for upcoming national events and potential disasters," a FEMA spokesperson said.