What the Government Shutdown Means for Tropical Storm Karen

Tropical Storm Karen is expected to make landfall late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, and the government shutdown, which includes hundreds of thousands of federal workers on furlough, is showing no signs of letting up any time soon. So what does the shutdown mean for storm readiness and response? 

While there is concern that federal organizations responsible for dealing with the storm may be short-handed because of the government shutdown, it appears the four-day-and-counting shutdown won't impede government response to Karen. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced that The Federal Emergency Management Agency is recalling furloughed workers, of which there were nearly 3,000, and President Barack Obama will be briefed as conditions change.

The National Hurricane Center, too, is prepared for Karen. "The National Hurricane Center is fully operational ... and has all of its resources available to it," said a spokesman for the NHC. 

With Karen expected to remain at tropical storm level strength, and the appropriate agencies prepared, this doesn't appear like it will turn into a fiasco, or worse, for the federal government.