Recovery efforts in areas of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene are being disrupted by reports of militia activity targeting FEMA workers. According to a Sunday report from The Washington Post, federal emergency response personnel paused work in an area of Rutherford County, N.C., and relocated personnel after receiving reports that an “armed militia” was “hunting FEMA.”
According to the Post, the incident took place on Saturday. Several agencies involved in hurricane response efforts received an email from a U.S. Forest Service official notifying them that “FEMA has advised all federal responders Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately. The message stated that National Guard troops ‘had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA.’” Aid workers stationed in that area returned on Sunday.
While FEMA did not confirm the credibility of the threat, a spokesperson acknowledged that the agency has made “operation adjustments” in order to ensure the safety of recovery personnel. “For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments,” one individual with knowledge of FEMA’s operations told the Post. “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.”
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene misinformation about FEMA and the government’s response to the disaster has run rampant online. Former President Donald Trump and members of the GOP have spread baseless claims that the Biden administration intentionally abandoned Republican areas affected by the storm and that money from FEMA’s disaster relief fund has been illegally squandered on undocumented migrants.
Relief workers are concerned that the unfounded claims of abandonment, stolen donations, and planned land grabs will discourage individuals who need aid and assistance from contacting relief agencies. The storm of misinformation fueled calls for private citizens to take matters into their own hands — even if it meant vigilante violence.
Last week, a viral social media post garnered over 1.4 million impressions on X after falsely claiming that they had “spoken to a Marine sniper who reportedly now has 5 confirmed FEMA kills in North Carolina. He has told us ‘it’s the fight of our lives.’” While there have been no confirmed reports of clashes between militias, the climate of fear and intimidation has disaster relief agencies on edge.
Officials attempting to provide aid to affected communities are begging onlookers to cut the bullshit. “We need to work together to rebuild and recover from a catastrophic disaster like this one — and spreading false information to sow chaos hurts real people,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper wrote last week. “Politicians, billionaires and grifters who peddle lies during a time of crisis should be held accountable.”
