Want to help? FEMA is hiring locals for Irma recovery

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is hiring Central Florida residents to assist in the disaster recovery effort after Hurricane Irma.

FEMA needs to fill some of the following positions: customer service specialists, information technology specialists, logistics specialists, translators and interpreters in either Haitian Creole or Spanish, historic preservation specialists, and environmental/floodplain specialists.

"The best way to get money back into the local economy is by hiring the locals," says FEMA spokesman Peter Sessum.  "The people who survive the disaster - they're going to be more empathetic to other disaster survivors, so when it comes to working in a disaster recovery center or helping them with their claims, it's better to have someone that's been through that."

Residents of Florida who wish to apply should email resumes to FEMA-Workforce-FL@fema.dhs.gov.  They can also visit careers.fema.gov/hurricane-workforce to learn more.

FEMA says people who are hired will join the recovery team already in place, which is composed of local and federal workers, voluntary agencies and community organizations.

Sessum also says FEMA is "always hiring" for its reserve program and core cadre.  Anyone interested can visit https://fema.usajobs.gov.