FEMA administrator pushes back on Trump claims on hurricane recovery efforts

WASHINGTON – Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell pushed back against former President Donald Trump’s false claims about the recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene and indicated she was disappointed in the misinformation he was spreading.

Trump has spread baseless claims of hurricane relief efforts, including allegations that there are “no helicopters, no rescue” in North Carolina and that the federal government is only giving $750 to those who have lost their homes. FEMA has addressed misinformation on its webpage and social media. 

When asked about whether she thinks Trump is playing politics with the hurricane response, Criswell said in a press call Tuesday, “as it relates to the rumors ... I'm frankly disappointed that we're still having to have this conversation.”

Hurricane Helene, which ravaged southeastern states including North Carolina and Florida, left more than 200 dead and millions without power.

“I would say just because you don't see somebody in a FEMA shirt on the ground doesn't mean FEMA is not here, and FEMA is one part of the team – our urban search and rescue teams, the Army Corps of Engineers,” she added.

The $750 figure has also been misrepresented, she said, explaining that the money is going out to individuals in the most impacted areas first. As more information is collected about the individuals and what their situation with housing is, they will get additional assistance as needed, she said.

She said she thinks the disinformation being spread during recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene is causing harm to both volunteers on the ground and impacted families.

“It's creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government. And we have so many first responders that have been working day and night to go out and help these communities," Criswell said. "It's just really demoralizing to them. It hurts their morale when they've left their families to be able to come in here and help people,” she added.

Criswell added that bad actors are “misrepresenting the types of programs that FEMA offers.”

“It’s creating fear in some of the individuals, and so I worry that they won't apply for assistance, which means I can't get them the necessary items they need to support them,” said Criswell.

At the White House, President Joe Biden said Tuesday that spreading misinformation about the hurricanes causes unnecessary panic and is “un-American.”

“Those who do it do it to try to damage the administration,” Biden told reporters after getting a briefing from his senior aides on the government’s ongoing response to Hurricane Helene and preparations for Hurricane Milton.

The administration can take care of itself, Biden said, but misinformation “misleads people, puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they’re really, really, really worried that they’re not being taken care of.”

“It’s un-American,” he said. “It really is. People are scared to death. People know their lives are at stake, all that they've worked for, all that they own, all that they value.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FEMA administrator blasts disinformation on hurricane recovery efforts