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Aid to several communities hit by Hurricane Helene was temporarily paused in parts of North Carolina over the weekend due to reports of threats against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) responders, amid a backdrop of misinformation about responses to recent storms.
Some FEMA teams helping disaster survivors apply for assistance in rural North Carolina are currently working at secure disaster recovery centers in counties where federal workers are receiving threats, a FEMA spokesperson told CNN on Monday.
« For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments », the spokesperson said in a statement. « 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 Saturday, FEMA workers had to halt their work in Rutherford County due to reports that National Guard troops saw « armed militia » threatening the workers, according to the , which cited an email to federal agencies helping with the response, verified by unnamed federal officials. It’s not clear if the threat was credible.
Rutherford County is southeast of the hard-hit Asheville area, and part of the mountainous region that was slammed by deadly flooding and landslides as Helene carved a path of destruction through the Southeast after making landfall in Florida last month.
