Payments of $750 are only part of federal financial assistance after Helene | Fact check
The claim: Americans affected by Hurricane Helene receive ‘only $750’ in aid
An Oct. 2 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) by conservative commentator Benny Johnson includes a clip of Vice President Kamala Harris talking about financial assistance for victims of Hurricane Helene.
“Kamala just told Americans they will be receiving $750 to those who 'truly need it' for hurricane relief," reads on-screen text, which is a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, from Johnson. " We can send BILLIONS to Ukraine but Americans who have lost everything only get $750 dollars?!”
The Instagram post was liked more than 80,000 times in five days. Johnson's X post was shared on the platform more than 30,000 times in the same time frame.
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Our rating: False
The $750 payments are the initial support provided under a new FEMA program, not the sole financial assistance available. Applications can be made for multiple additional forms of financial support for those affected by the hurricane.
Funds are for immediate needs
Hurricane Helene cut a path of destruction through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia after making landfall on Sept. 26. The death toll surpassed 200 as of Oct. 7, and losses attributable to the storm may exceed $30 billion, USA TODAY reported.
The Instagram post includes part of remarks Harris made on Oct. 2 in Augusta, Georgia, in which she said $750 in emergency assistance for "immediate needs" was available for victims of the hurricane. But the funding is just one form of assistance the federal government is providing.
Among the financial assistance programs listed on USA.gov are emergency food assistance, unemployment benefits, mortgage assistance, home repair loans and small business loans. The website includes links to check eligibility and apply for the programs.
Harris identified some of those programs in her remarks in Augusta, but the Instagram post cuts her off before she mentions them.
Fact check: No, Biden didn't say he's done sending aid to Hurricane Helene victims
A White House transcript and C-SPAN video of the Oct. 2 remarks show Harris continued by describing what kind of purchases would qualify as "immediate needs" and outlining the application process for the $750.
She then mentions other forms of aid available outside of the $750.
“FEMA is also providing tens of thousands more dollars for folks to help them be able to deal with home repair, to be able to cover a deductible when and if they have insurance, and also hotel costs,” says Harris.
The $750 payments are part of the Serious Needs Assistance program, a new offering announced by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security in January alongside several reforms intended to “cut red tape, provide funds faster and give people more flexibility.”
FEMA also disputed the claim that these funds were the only assistance being provided in a post on Helene-connected rumors.
The Instagram post also references billions of dollars in financial support sent to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. President Joe Biden announced a new $8 billion military aid package for the country just hours before Helene made landfall. FEMA – which is part of Homeland Security – dismissed any suggestion that the funding for Ukraine affected the money available for disaster relief.
USA TODAY has debunked misinformation related to Hurricane Helene, including several videos falsely presented as showing the storm and its aftereffects and AI-generated images falsely presented as showing flood damage.
USA TODAY reached out to Johnson for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
C-SPAN, Oct. 2, Vice President Harris Surveys Hurricane Helene Damage in Georgia
USA.Gov, accessed Oct. 4, Financial assistance after a disaster
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Helene aid not limited to $750 per person | Fact check
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