WASHINGTON (AP) — False claims and conspiracy theories about the U.S. government’s response to Hurricane Helene — spread primarily by Donald Trump — are “demoralizing” aid workers and creating fear among those who need recovery help, the U.S. government said. Sunday the federal government’s top disaster relief official.
“It is frankly ridiculous and simply false. This kind of rhetoric doesn’t help people,” said Deanne Criswell, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “It is really a shame that we put politics before helping people, and that is why we are here. “We have had the full support of the state,” he indicated, referring to North Carolina.
Republicans, led by the former president, have helped fuel a misinformation frenzy over the past week among the communities most devastated by Helene, promoting a series of false claims, including that Washington is intentionally withholding aid intended for people in Republican areas. .
Trump accused FEMA of spending all its money to help immigrants living in the United States without legal authorization, while other critics say the government spends too much in Israel, Ukraine and other foreign countries.
“FEMA has absolutely enough money for the Helene response at this time,” said Keith Turi, acting director of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery. He noted that Congress recently replenished the agency with $20 billion, and about $8 billion of that amount is reserved for past storm recovery and mitigation projects.
There are also wild theories, including warnings from far-right groups that authorities plan to demolish storm-damaged communities and confiscate residents’ land. A falsehood pushed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., claims that Washington used climate control technology to target Helene toward Republican voters in order to tilt the presidential election toward Democrat Kamala Harris.
Criswell said on ABC’s “This Week” that such unfounded claims about the response to Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains and a death toll that rose Sunday to at least 230, have created a sense of fear and distrust among residents towards the thousands of FEMA employees and volunteers in the affected areas.
“Local authorities have had to help counter this dangerous narrative — truly dangerous, which is creating this fear of trying to reach out and help us or register for help,” he stressed.
President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday that his administration “will continue to work hand-in-hand with municipal and state authorities, regardless of political party and how long it takes.”
