WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government’s top emergency response official said Sunday that false claims and conspiracy theories about the federal response to Hurricane Helene — most prominently spread by Donald Trump — are “demoralizing” first responders and creating fear among people needing recovery help .
“It’s downright ridiculous, and downright untrue. This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people,” said Deanne Criswell, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “It’s really a shame that we put politics above helping people, and that’s what we’re here to do. We have had the full support of the state,” she said, referring to North Carolina.
Republicans, led by the former president, have helped fuel a wave of disinformation over the past week among the communities most devastated by Helene, advancing a number of false claims, including that Washington is deliberately withholding aid from people in Republican areas.
Trump accused FEMA of spending all its money on helping immigrants in the United States illegally, while other critics say the government is spending too much on Israel, Ukraine and other foreign countries.
“FEMA absolutely has enough funding for Helene’s 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, with about $8 billion of that earmarked for recovery. from previous storms and mitigation projects.
There are also bizarre theories, including warnings from far-right extremist groups that officials are planning to bulldoze storm-damaged communities and seize residents’ land. A lie pushed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., claims that Washington used weather control technology to steer Helene toward Republican voters to tilt the presidential election toward Democrat Kamala Harris.
Criswell said on ABC’s “This Week” that such unsubstantiated claims surrounding the response to Helene, which caused catastrophic damage from Florida into the Appalachians and a death toll that rose to at least 230 on Sunday, have created a sense of fear and distrust among residents. against the thousands of FEMA employees and volunteers on the ground.
“We’ve had local officials help push back on this dangerous — really dangerous narrative that creates fear to reach out and help us or sign up for help,” she said.
President Joe Biden said in a statement Sunday that his administration “will continue to work hand-in-hand with state and local leaders — regardless of political party and for however long it takes.”
Meanwhile, FEMA is preparing for Hurricane Milton, which quickly intensified into a Category 1 storm on Sunday as it moved toward Florida.
“We are working with the state there to understand what their demands will be so that we can implement them before landfall,” she said.
