Federal relief workers are reporting danger from armed militia groups in parts of North Carolina ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
That roadblock to delivering much needed aid to those impacted by the Sept. 26 storm comes amid a slew of anti-government conspiracy theories so problematic the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) posted a webpage addressing such disinformation. Among the bad messaging making the rounds is the false claim that FEMA is using the hurricane fallout as an opportunity to seize land owned by victims.
Concerns of possible violence caused FEMA crews in Rutherford County to relocate, according to CBS News, which said the agency also stopped going door-to-door offering assistance in the 65,000 person county. U.S. Forest Service officials in that southeastern part of the state reportedly warned federal responders that National Guardsman encountered militants who said they were “hunting FEMA.”
FEMA acknowledged to CBS News that it had “made some operational adjustments” to keep workers safe as it continues to assist those displaced or otherwise inconvenienced by Helene. The National Guard claims it hasn’t encountered any “armed militia, any threats and any type of combatants” impeding its work in North Carolina.
Politicians including Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have added to frustrations in the aftermath of the hurricane by falsely claiming the federal government was low on resources needed to aid victims of natural disasters because it was spending money on immigrants who are in the country illegally.
Some Trump supporters have claimed areas needing help because of natural disasters are being discriminated against due to their politics, despite the fact President Biden announced Sunday his administration was allocating $600 million for hurricane relief in Florida. That state —which was pummeled by Hurricane Milton last week — voted Republican in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and appears likely to do so again next month.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has baselessly insisted some unspecified entity is able to control the weather to target Republicans.
“Humans cannot create or control hurricanes,” Florida Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez in response to his colleague’s latest conspiracy theory.
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