Editor’s Note 10/23/24: Since this story was first published, officials in Buncombe County, North Carolina, home to Asheville, have reported they overcounted the death toll in their region by as many as 30. Some of the death toll figures in this story are no longer accurate.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has resumed door-to-door neighborhood outreaches in some areas afflicted by Hurricane Helene as one man is accused of making a threat against its employees.
Amid reports of militia involvement, the agency told CNN it was the subject of several threats and the alleged threat from the man later arrested was the main one it was aware of when it decided to pull back on outreach.
“I wanted to make sure we protected our staff on the ground while we worked diligently with local law enforcement to understand the full situation,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said.
“The threat was more limited than initially reported and mitigated by law enforcement,” FEMA said Monday.
A former FEMA administrator told CNN threats in the field have been rare in the past. “This is unprecedented. I know we’ve had individuals but not an area or a group that’s threatening FEMA,” said Craig Fugate, who was the agency’s head from 2009 to 2017.
FEMA has approved more than $96 million for 75,000 households in North Carolina, part of the $507 million approved for residents and communities in states hit by Helene and Hurricane Milton, the agency announced Monday.
Here is what we know about relief efforts after the two latest major hurricanes:
Man arrested near relief site
A man with a handgun and rifle has been charged with a misdemeanor, Going Armed to the Terror of the Public, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
CNN has reached out to William Jacob Parsons, 44, who is free on bail, but didn’t reach him at any of his listed numbers. He was taken into custody Saturday outside a grocery store that is functioning as a storm relief site, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said an armed man made a comment about possibly harming FEMA workers in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area.
The initial report to deputies said a truckload of militia were involved in making threats, but investigators determined Parsons acted alone, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, at a press conference Tuesday, emphasized the continued “persistent and dangerous flow of misinformation” affecting relief efforts across the state.
“If you’re participating and spreading this stuff, stop it,” Cooper said. “Whatever your aim is, the people you are really hurting are those in Western North Carolina who need help.”
FEMA: There were other threats
While Parsons’ alleged threat was the primary concern, the agency had been the target of threats and harassment of employees for several days, a FEMA spokesperson told CNN.
FEMA then temporarily moved its field teams to disaster recovery centers – there are four in North Carolina – and worked with law enforcement to assess the nature of the threats.
The agency announced Monday it had resumed outreach efforts in communities after about a day.
“It’s heartbreaking to see words or acts of hatred toward anyone, let alone federal responders who are here to help people in this critical time,” FEMA’s Criswell said Tuesday.
More than 2,000 FEMA responders are in North Carolina working with local, state and other responders in ongoing aid operations.
“Our disaster survivor assistance teams will continue to go door to door in impacted communities,” Criswell said. “We are not going anywhere.”
Battling misinformation
After disasters such as hurricanes and the Maui wildfires, FEMA has had to deal with wild rumors about its relief efforts, including assertions that an initial $750 payment is the only one victims will receive.
But “the contours of this misinformation are unlike anything we’ve seen before,” a senior administration official told CNN last week.
Senior US officials have instructed public affairs teams at federal agencies to ramp up social media posts from government accounts with photos illustrating how federal workers are clearing debris and dispensing aid, a US official familiar with the effort said.
The misinformation has prompted FEMA to launch a webpage to respond to rumors and confirm facts related to the Hurricane Helene response and recovery, such as disaster assistance and funding for disaster response.
Last week Criswell said said she thinks the “dangerous narrative” is political.
“It’s really a shame that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people, and that’s what we’re here to do,” Criswell said October 6 on ABC.
A rumor promoted by former President Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk, among others, suggested the federal government was diverting aid. Another claims the Biden administration – along with Gov. Cooper, a Democrat – was withholding or diverting relief funds because the hardest hit areas are prominently Republican.
Trump has also baselessly claimed that some of the diverted funds were being used to help migrants who are in the country illegally.
“We have had the complete support of the state. We have had the local officials helping to push back on this dangerous – truly dangerous narrative that is creating this fear of trying to reach out and help us or to register for help,” Criswell said.
What North Carolina has done
Cooper said Monday he was directing the state’s Public Safety Department to help FEMA officials coordinate with law enforcement to ensure the safety of FEMA’s teams.
The governor didn’t give specifics about which elements of the department, which includes the highway patrol and the National Guard, would be involved.
“We know that significant misinformation online contributes to threats against response workers on the ground, and the safety of responders must be a priority,” Cooper said in a statement.
National Guard troops are already on the ground in western North Carolina, part of a task force of more than 1,500 soldiers and airmen.
More than 80 remain unaccounted for
Nearly three weeks after Helene ravaged North Carolina, the state has 81 people unaccounted for, Cooper said Tuesday.
That number is likely to fluctuate, Cooper has said, as individuals continue to provide updates to officials on their success in contacting loved ones. It was unclear whether the unaccounted individuals are from Western North Carolina or other parts of the state.
At one point immediately after Helene, Buncombe County in Western North Carolina alone had received more than 1,000 missing persons reports, a figure that dropped quickly as cell phone service was restored. The death toll in North Carolina from Helene stands at 117 people, according to a CNN tally.
Power outages across the state now stand at 13,000, Cooper said, adding that this number is a big improvement from the 1 million power outages reported in the storm’s immediate aftermath.
Federal aid for Helene tops $850 million, FEMA says
Cooper said FEMA has approved 77,000 applications for individual financial assistance, paying out more than $99 million so far.
The agency has also paid for temporary hotel stays for more than 1,900 people across the state.
“Over 1,500 responders from 38 states have responded to assist North Carolina in our response and recovery efforts,” North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray said.
FEMA has approved $507 million in relief funds for residents and communities and $351 million for debris removal in states affected by Hurricane Helene.
“Disaster survivors in certain areas of Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia can begin their recovery process by applying for federal assistance through FEMA,” the agency said.
The agency broke down the disaster assistance figures by state:
- Florida: $177.6 million for 56,900 households
- Georgia: $103 million for 106,300 households
- South Carolina: $119 million for 133,900 households
- Tennessee: $10.7 million for 2,200 households
- Virginia: $4.2 million for 1,330 households
There are three primary ways to apply for FEMA assistance: phone, online or at a recovery center.
CNN’s Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
