FEMA Restarts Door-to-Door Operations in North Carolina After Reported Threats

A car damaged by Hurricane Helene near Asheville, N.C., on Oct. 5, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resumed visits in North Carolina to respond to Hurricane Helene’s aftermath after threats were made over the weekend against the agency, its administrator said on Tuesday.

FEMA told The Epoch Times that it had to make “operational adjustments” after law officials with a sheriff’s office said that a man was arrested for making threats against the agency. Another sheriff’s office said that FEMA suspended some aid in North Carolina due to the threats over the weekend.

“So let me be clear, I take these threats seriously, and the safety of these responders is and will remain a priority for me and my team,” FEMA Director Deanne Criswell told reporters on Tuesday, adding that FEMA started to “resume canvassing operations” in North Carolina on Monday.

“I was in the field with them, going door-to-door,” she said, adding that FEMA staff “are not going anywhere.”

Explaining the agency’s pause, Criswell said the “operational changes” over the weekend were to “keep FEMA personnel safe, but none of the changes we made impacted ongoing search and rescue or other life safety operations.”

Over the weekend, reports emerged that FEMA workers could be targeted by militia as the government responds to Helene, which caused considerable damage across western North Carolina starting in late September. The Epoch Times could not verify the claims about the alleged militia threats.

Man Arrested

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said on Monday that one man was arrested during an investigation. William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, was arrested and charged with “going armed to the terror of the public,” said the sheriff’s office.

“The initial report stated there was a truckload of militia that was involved,” the sheriff’s office stated. “However, after further investigation, it was determined Parsons acted alone and there were no truckloads of militia going to Lake Lure.”

The suspect had “made the comment about possibly harming FEMA employees working after the disaster of Hurricane Helene in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area,” sheriff’s officials said earlier this week.

Governor Says Rumors Should Stop

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said earlier this week that he directed the state’s Department of Public Safety to coordinate law enforcement protection for FEMA and other responders. He stressed that online rumors and allegations were causing damage and said officials may never know how many people didn’t apply for assistance because of bad information.

“If you’re participating in spreading this stuff, stop it. Whatever your aim is, the people you are really hurting are those in western North Carolina who need help,” Cooper said.

FEMA was deployed in North Carolina in late September after Helene hit the southeastern United States. Since then, officials with the agency have said that “rumors” and “misinformation” have been posted on social media about its response. The agency has rebutted claims that it was either blocking roads, access to towns, or taking people’s property.

Criswell said earlier this month that claims the agency is prioritizing illegal immigrants or blocking aid in some places are “not helpful” and are also “demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities helping people.”

Some Republican officials, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump, have criticized FEMA’s response and also pointed to the agency’s announcements this year that hundreds of millions of dollars would be used to resettle illegal immigrants.

According to the April announcement on migrant resettlement efforts, FEMA said that it will direct “$300 million in grants through the Shelter and Services Program ... to support communities that are providing services to migrants” and $340 million for a “competitive awards process” program.

In August, FEMA similarly announced another $380 million in additional funding to “communities receiving migrants” who came into the U.S. illegally.

$96 Million for 75,000 Households

FEMA said on Monday that it has approved more than $96 million for 75,000 households in North Carolina after Helene.

That’s part of more than $507 million in assistance for individuals and communities impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida’s Gulf Coast earlier this month. Overall, FEMA has approved $860 million for disaster response after the two storms.

“More than 2,500 families who cannot return home are staying in safe and clean lodging through FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance program,” the agency said on Monday. “Under the program, residents in declared counties who have applied for disaster assistance may be eligible to stay temporarily in a hotel or motel paid for by FEMA while they work on their long-term housing plan.”

DHS Says More Funding Needed

The criticism and claims against the agency come as Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said this past week that Congress needs to pass a bill to provide more funding for FEMA after Helene and Milton.

In a news conference at the White House, Mayorkas told reporters he believed FEMA had enough funding to deal with the aftermath of both storms.

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report.