government shutdown can be westerns over the storm are causing some fema employees to return to wok. >> fema has begun to recall, currently furloughed employees necessary to serve functions of the agency that protect life and property as they prepare for potential landfall. for tropical storm karen. >> reporter: karen is the 11th named storm of what has been an unusually quiet hurricane season this year with only ingrid and humberto becoming full hurricanes so far. last year, superstorm sandy hit the northeast in late october, forecasters don't know why this year has been so quiet but say another situation like sandy is extremely unlikely. >> this is really the peak or at least the end of the peak of hurricane season. we are still in it. there will be more storms this year. >> i was talking about how quiet it is here, how people may not even know what a storm is coming. that's what it felt like 150 years ago. that is not the case. as we go through the afternoon we'll see conditions ramp up, stronger winds.