FEMA Makes ‘Operational Adjustments’ in North Carolina Amid Alleged Threats to Workers

Members of the National Guard and a FEMA search and rescue team, in a file photo. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) made “operational adjustments” to Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in parts of North Carolina over the weekend after a local law enforcement official said that the federal agency had paused aid efforts because of threats.

“For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments,” a spokesperson for the federal agency told The Epoch Times on the morning of Oct. 14. “Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to be open as scheduled, survivors continue to register for assistance, and we continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery.”

On Oct. 13, Ashe County Sheriff Phil Howell said in a statement that FEMA officials in the state’s mountain region, located in the western part of North Carolina, were the subject of undisclosed threats.

“We wanted to address the current issues being spread about FEMA in Ashe County,” Howell wrote on social media. “As a response, they have been here to help and assist those in need. Recently in the mountain region, there have been threats made against them.”

Those threats were not issued in Ashe County or surrounding counties, he said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, they have paused their process as they are assessing the threats. We will notify everyone if and when we are updated,” Howell wrote.

He urged people to “stay calm and steady” during the recovery.

“Help folks and please don’t stir the pot,” Howell said.

In an update, Howell said that FEMA locations would be open from the morning of Oct. 14 through the rest of the week.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Panhandle region as a Category 4 storm in late September before it moved northward, dumping significant amounts of rain in North Carolina’s Appalachian Mountains, located in the western portion of the state. Days later, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said that entire communities were “wiped off the map” because of flooding, mudslides, and landslides.

Power and water systems, roads, and other infrastructure were severely damaged across the region, and officials have projected it could take months or even years for some areas to fully recover.

FEMA has faced criticism from some Republicans over its response and for an April announcement by the agency that it’s using hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to resettle illegal immigrants.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has said multiple times that the agency needs funding from Congress, although he said the agency currently has enough resources to handle both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, the latter of which struck Florida’s Gulf Coast on Oct. 9.

“We have the resources to respond to the immediate needs of individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton,” Mayorkas told reporters last week. “That being said, we will need additional funds, and we implore Congress when it returns to, in fact, fund FEMA as is needed.”

Congress will return from its break on Nov. 12, while the Atlantic basin’s hurricane season officially ends on Nov. 30.

FEMA Director Deanne Criswell told ABC News on Oct. 6 that accusations that her agency is prioritizing illegal immigrants or that the agency has blocked off roads in North Carolina are “not helpful” and are “demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities helping people.”

Since Helene made landfall, FEMA also has set up several pages on its website, including a “rumor response” section that addresses concerns that people may have regarding how the agency handled the damage caused by Helene.

On Oct. 11, Criswell told reporters that FEMA is “continuously” monitoring social media, media outlets, and other places because the agency wants to make sure it’s “providing for the safest environment” for its employees, and “making sure that they know that their safety is first and foremost ... as they go out into these communities.”

The National Hurricane Center said on the morning of Oct. 14 that it is monitoring an area of low pressure in the tropical central portion of the Atlantic Ocean, but it noted that the system is unlikely to develop into a more organized system.