FEMA 2
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OLD HEADERS
TWO 7 25
yikes noem dhs
denier 3/18
see katrina
SEE NEUTER AGY
SEE GUBMINT DISINFO hurric NC IMMIGRANT HOTEL BS
BAK 7 25
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AN 7 25
Outrage continues to grow against U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem over her response to the deadly floods that ravaged Texas last week.
According to a Friday report from The New York Times,more than two-thirds of phone calls to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from flood victims went unanswered after Noem allowed hundreds of contractors to be laid off on July 5, just a day after the nightmare storm.
According to The Times, this dramatically hampered the ability of the agency to respond to calls from survivors in the following days:
*On July 5, as floodwaters were starting to recede, FEMA received 3,027 calls from disaster survivors and answered 3,018, or roughly 99.7 percent, the documents show. Contractors with four call center companies answered the vast majority of the calls.
*That evening, however, Noem did not renew the contracts with the four companies, and hundreds of contractors were fired, according to the documents and the person briefed on the matter.
The next day, July 6, FEMA received 2,363 calls and answered 846, or roughly 35.8 percent, according to the documents. And on Monday, July 7, the agency fielded 16,419 calls and answered 2,613, or around 15.9 percent, the documents show.*
Calling is one of the primary ways that flood victims apply for aid from the disaster relief agency. But Noem would wait until July 10—five days later—to renew the contracts of the people who took those phone calls.
"Responding to less than half of the inquiries is pretty horrific," Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, told The Times.
"Put yourself in the shoes of a survivor: You've lost everything, you're trying to find out what's insured and what's not, and you’re navigating multiple aid programs," he added. "One of the most important services in disaster recovery is being able to call someone and walk through these processes and paperwork."
The lapse is a direct result of a policy introduced by Noem last month, which required any payments made by FEMA above $100,000 to be directly approved by her before taking effect. Noem, who has said she wants to eliminate FEMA entirely, described it as a way of limiting "waste, fraud, and abuse."
Under this policy, Noem allowed other critical parts of the flood response to wait for days as well. Earlier this week, multiple officials within FEMA told CNNthat she waited more than 72 hours to authorize the deployment of search and rescue teams and aerial imaging.
Following The Times'piece, DHS put out a statement claiming that "NO ONE was left without assistance, and every call was responded to urgently."
"When a natural disaster strikes, phone calls surge, and wait times can subsequently increase," DHS said. "Despite this expected influx, FEMA's disaster call center responded to every caller swiftly and efficiently, ensuring no one was left without assistance. No call center operators were laid off or fired."
This is undercut, however, by internal emails also obtained by The Times, which showed FEMA officials becoming frustrated and blaming the DHS Secretary for the lack of contracts. One official wrote in a July 8 email to colleagues: "We still do not have a decision, waiver, or signature from the DHS Secretary."
Democratic lawmakers were already calling for investigations into Noem's response to the floods before Friday. They also sought to look into how the Trump administration's mass firings of FEMA employees, as well as employees of the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) may have hampered the response.
Following The Times' revelations, outrage has reached a greater fever pitch.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called it "unforgivable and unforgettable" and an "inexcusable lapse in top leadership."
"Sec. Noem shows that dismantling FEMA impacts real people in real time," he said. "It hurts countless survivors & increases recovery costs."
In response to the news, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) simply wrote that "Kristi Noem must resign now."
Others pointed out that Noem has often sought to justify abolishing FEMA by characterizing it as slow and ineffectual. They suggested her dithering response was deliberate.
"She broke it on purpose," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) in an interview on MSNBC. "So that when it fails this summer, she can say, 'Oh, see, we told you—FEMA doesn't work.'"
"It's not really incompetence because they know what they are doing," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). "They are intentionally breaking government—even the parts that help us when we are deep in crisis."
NOW READ:Don't believe Trump's new disinfo campaign about Social Security
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AN SALON 7 25
Following the deadly flooding that areas of Central Texas suffered over the 4th of July Weekend, President Donald Trump seems to be backing down from his proposal to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — at least for the time being.
But Salon's Amanda Marcotte, in an article published on July 14, emphasizes that hatred of FEMA runs deep on the far right. And she cites Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as a prime example.
"Noem isn't giving up the dream of ending the federal agency," Marcotte warns. "Sending innocent people to wither away in foreign gulags has been Noem's top priority at DHS, but she seems to be nearly as excited about cutting off aid to Americans who are suffering from natural disasters. In February, she declared her intent to 'get rid of FEMA the way it exists today.' In March, Politico reported that Noem plans to subject FEMA to the 'chopping block.'"
READ MORE: 'You dress as a cowgirl?' Kristi Noem bashed at homestate fundraiser
The Salon journalist continues, "Those plans haven't changed. This week, she reiterated that FEMA 'fundamentally needs to go away as it exists' and called for it to be 'eliminated as it exists today.' The 'as it exists today' caveat is put there to give Noem and Trump wiggle room, but make no mistake: Their goal is to destroy the system of disaster relief that Americans depend on, especially as climate change worsens."
Marcotte observes that "white supremacist conspiracy theories" over FEMA existed long before today's "paranoid MAGA conspiracist bubble."
"The history of conspiracy theories about FEMA goes back to the agency's founding under President Jimmy Carter in 1979," Marcotte explains. "Far-right groups immediately started circulating rumors that FEMA's disaster relief mission was a cover story for the true goal: Rounding up white Christians into concentration camps, so the 'globalists' — read: Jews, people of color, feminists, queer people — could impose the 'New World Order.' As usual with racist conspiracists, the psychological motivation is a combination of sublimated shame and defensiveness, manifesting in a victim complex. In the imagination of right-wingers, the 'real' victims are white Christians, and it's the people who were once subjected to slavery, concentration camps and genocide who are the oppressors."
Marcotte continues, "At the center of the conspiracy theory is this concept of 'FEMA camps.' The claim is that FEMA will pretend to be setting up emergency relief stations, but really, they're laying groundwork for prison camps for white Christians."
READ MORE:There's far more to Trump and Epstein's relationship: Trump biographer
Marcotte cautions against believing that Trump is really giving up on abolishing FEMA.
"First things first: Mainstream media reports that Donald Trump has 'backed away' or 'scrapped' plans to destroy the Federal Emergency Management Agency are greatly exaggerated," Marcotte laments. "Trump is just doing what he always does when faced with intense public scrutiny of his unpopular positions: Lying. As usual, he will go right back to doing the bad thing as soon as the news cycle moves on to something else."
READ MORE:'The really big bomb': Outrage grows from all sides over Trump admin backtracking
*Amanda Marcotte's full article for Salon is available at this link.
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NOTE NOEM DUFFY BLAME BIDEN
As TX deaths rise, officials blast faulty forecast by DOGE-gutted National Weather Service
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an 6 25
no lnx
Revealed: Fear of extremists forced emergency workers to flee a rural disaster zone
A resident walks through debris following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Marshall, North Carolina, U.S., October 8, 2024. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
Jordan Greenand Raw Story June 27, 2025
Late one night last October, at a church in a remote corner of Yancey County, North Carolina, government emergency medical workers participating in the response to Hurricane Helene gathered medications, records, laptops and radios, threw them into backpacks — and abandoned their field clinic.
More than two weeks after the massive storm ravaged the region, roads were badly damaged. Led by an ambulance, side lights illuminating the winding two-lane highway that follows Big Creek, the group made its way across the state line and into Tennessee.
Rumors about armed militia members threatening teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency had prompted FEMA to pause some operations. The same day in Rutherford County, roughly 70 miles from the field clinic in Yancey County, a 44-year-old man armed with an assault rifle was arrested for threatening to harm FEMA workers. In Tennessee, a sheriff said witnesses reported FEMA workers being harassed by armed people.
But the Oct. 12-13 evacuation of a state medical assistance team, including FEMA contract workers, on the order of a program director more than 250 miles away in the state capital, Raleigh, is being reported by Raw Story for the first time.
“It was late enough the community had gone to sleep,” said a FEMA contract worker who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We had a rotating cadre of [sheriff’s] deputies … They said, ‘We’re willing to set up an overnight guard.’
"The state medical team was like, ‘No, we’re not going to stay.’”
‘They know where you’re sleeping’
On Oct. 12, as darkness gathered, Dr. Tripp Winslow, medical director for the state Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS) and physician for the Yancey County site, paced in the parking lot at Big Creek Free Will Baptist Church.
A medic had delivered an alarming report — of observing snipers on rooftops and viewing a social media post indicating militias were hunting FEMA.
In another part of the parking lot, three unfamiliar men approached. One inquired about the medics’ sleeping accommodations. A FEMA contract worker told Raw Story one man wore a shirt bearing the insignia of Savage Freedoms, an armed volunteer disaster response group that had become a focal point of medical workers’ concerns.
“I mentioned to Dr. Winslow: ‘We had these three people come up, and they know where we sleep. They know we’re not in the clinic at night,’” the worker told Raw Story.
“The state was like, ‘We’re not comfortable with you guys staying here, especially now that they know where you’re sleeping.’”
Asked for comment, Winslow referred questions to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
A photo submitted to Raw Story by a member of the medical team shows Big Creek Free Will Baptist Church, where the NC Office of Emergency Medical Services set up a field clinic.
The church was a disaster-response hub for an area cut off due to a bridge washing out on the road to the county seat, Burnsville. By the time the state medical assistance team arrived, a group of military veterans, Keystone Dynamic Solutions, had established a “command center” to land helicopters for supply delivery and dispatch teams to assist residents, liaising with the church’s pastor and deacon.
Keystone, which provides tactical combat training to civilians, describes its role in the aftermath of Helene as “a crucial buffer between small isolated communities and the larger state and federal agencies.”
The Big Creek site also provided a base for the local fire chief whose volunteer department was destroyed by flooding, and a rotating set of deputies from across the state.
Marlon Jonnaert, a Marine Corps veteran who helped land helicopters at Big Creek, confirmed there was an effort to assess the threat to government and volunteer personnel.
Jonnaert told Raw Story that Stanley Holloway, the fire chief, received a phone call from the Yancey County Emergency Operations Center stating that “there was a militia threat that included Big Creek.”
Nathaniel Kavakich, leader of the Keystone Dynamic Solutions team and also a Marines veteran, said in a podcast interview he encountered 10 heavily armed men whose questions were markedly similar to those directed at the medics at Big Creek.
“Who are you with?” the men asked, according to Kavakich. “Where are you laying your head at night?”
Kavakich declined to comment.
Jonnaert told Raw Story he wouldn’t call Savage Freedoms a “militia” or characterize their actions as “threatening,” but said: “I will say that in those moments it seemed like they were energetically antagonizing the government and drawing attention to their operation.”
Adam Smith, a U.S. Army Special Forces operator turned motivational speaker who leads Savage Freedoms, told Raw Story his group deployed a “small team” to perform “human remains detection” in Relief, in Mitchell County, 22 miles from Big Creek Free Will Baptist Church.
But Smith said he doesn’t believe it was members of his team who asked questions about where medical workers slept, because the group didn’t receive its first shipment of T-shirts until late on Oct. 12 or early the next day.
“Whoever the medical team is claiming to speak to them, I don’t think it’s possible that they would have our shirt, and I don’t think it’s possible they had any affiliation,” Smith said.
Amid reports of threats across the region that weekend, Savage Freedoms found itself on the defensive, posting a video on Facebook warning against “imitators” and featuring Smith saying unnamed people “use the name to gain access” and “do things that we would not do.”
Following the arrest in Rutherford County for threatening FEMA, Smith said, a National Guard liaison visited Savage Freedoms’ base at a Harley-Davidson dealership in Swannanoa. Smith said the liaison asked: “Do you have any affiliation with any militia in North Carolina?”
“My answer was, ‘No, definitively not,’” Smith said.
Savage Freedoms’ activities also drew the attention of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, headquartered across the state at Fort Bragg. Smith told Raw Story “an individual with direct connections” to the command contacted him to inquire about “a rumor that I, Adam Smith, was leading militia forces to subvert the efforts of FEMA.”
‘Rumors about FEMA’
Hostility towards FEMA, fueled by misinformation, appeared to drive a wedge between the state EMS team and the local community, medical responders told Raw Story. With the storm cutting off communication in a region with a longstanding distrust of the federal government, conditions were ripe for rumors supercharged by partisan imperatives in the final stretch of the presidential campaign.
When the FEMA contract workers arrived in Yancey County, state counterparts advised them to remove FEMA placards from ambulances and remove FEMA IDs from their belts, the FEMA contract worker said.
“As the week that I was there went on, there was some rumors about FEMA,” Jerry Zimmerman, a paramedic on the state EMS team, told Raw Story. “That kind of started the division between the state-funded resources, and Keystone and the community.”
Zimmerman went home before the team evacuated, but on the day he left, he mentioned to Holloway “that those ambulances were FEMA-funded.” The response was “very stand-offish and very agitated,” Zimmerman recalled, adding that he apologized to Winslow for inadvertently creating a rift.
Zimmerman said the medical team wondered: “With these rumors going around, are we going to be lumped in with FEMA and is that going to cause an issue for us? It ultimately did.”
The decision to pull out was made by Kimberly Clement, program director for the state Office of Emergency Medical Services, the FEMA contract worker said. Clement referred Raw Story’s inquiry to the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
A DHHS spokesperson confirmed the evacuation, but emphasized the input of the team on the ground while sidestepping a question about the role of state officials in Raleigh in the decision.
"On Oct. 12, 2024, several members of this team contacted the NC Emergency Medical Services (NCOEMS) staff at the State Emergency Operations Center and indicated they had concern related to the current operation of the site," said Summer Tonizzo, a DHHS press assistant. "Their concern justified the team leaving the site."
Justin Graney, chief of external affairs and communications for NC Emergency Management, told Raw Story: “The misinformation that occurred surrounding Helene was unprecedented and helped to generate mischaracterizations of what the response looked like, what resources were available, and how different levels of government were working together.”
‘They felt they were abandoned’
The medical team returned to Big Creek four days later and stayed another three weeks, but the evacuation had ruptured community trust.
“Several of us felt a lot of guilt,” the FEMA contract worker said. “This community had no access … These people who normally have a doctor’s office and pharmacy 20 minutes away, now it’s a two-and-a-half hour drive — if they can make it at all.”
Zimmerman noted that the area was already cut off by flooding.
“Whenever this happened, they felt like they were abandoned,” he said. “From the community in Yancey County, they had nothing. The only thing they had was each other. We come up there and provide services for the length that we did and evacuate for our safety. It’s almost like they were abandoned again.”
Members of Keystone Dynamic Solutions criticized the evacuation.
“We do not want to downplay the concern for safety of all government employees and soldiers,” one wrote on Instagram the day after. “We disagree with the decision to withdraw those federal and state personnel that the local population is trying to trust. What we are seeing is a catastrophic loss of rapport.”
An Instagram post by a member of the Keystone Dynamic Solutions team references the evacuation of the state medical team on the morning after.Instagram screenshot
The medical team left the Big Creek site without telling any of their counterparts, including Pastor Todd Robinson and the Keystone team, of their plan. Local residents who showed up for appointments the following day discovered the staff had vanished.
They left a trailer and tent. The FEMA contract worker who spoke on condition of anonymity said the team left behind antibiotics and steroids, but a deputy agreed to guard them. The worker said they personally kept all narcotics on their person and no controlled substances were left behind.
Ricky Wilson, who lives next to the church, told Raw Story: “The militia teams that was supposedly threatening them — I don’t know. I told them they didn’t have anything to worry about. Most people would take care of them.”
The medical team gave Wilson’s wife some medicine to help with her Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Wilson said. She has since passed away.
“They checked on people that needed medical help,” Wilson said. “Older folks that was pretty well stranded, they helped them with medications. They was very much a help to the community while they were here.”
Dante Capane, logistics operations chief for the Keystone Dynamic Solutions team, said the medics treated one of their volunteers for a cut on his eye. The FEMA contract worker said they treated another volunteer who got his finger stuck in a log splitter.
The medics also treated two boys involved in an ATV accident, the worker said. A helicopter evacuated one of the boys, the worker said, adding that the other boy sustained injuries that warranted evacuation but his mother refused to let medics treat him.
“We did a lot of family medicine, refills on heart medication, diuretics, people stopping by with rashes and bee stings,” the FEMA contract worker said.
Some members of the medical team questioned whether pulling out was the right decision. But Zimmerman, who left before the evacuation, said they made the right call.
“I agree wholeheartedly with the decision,” he said. “They felt there was a threat of violence. If I walk into a residence and there’s a threat against me, I have all the rights to evacuate that residence, and wait for law enforcement.”
The FEMA contract worker told Raw Story they believe the state Office of Emergency Medical Services chose not to publicly disclose the evacuation out of a desire to avoid controversy.
“I think the amount of negative coverage coming out of the area was already impinging on the government’s attempt to help the community,” they said.
“People were already scared. They had been spun up about the negative aspects. I think OEMS was hesitant to pour more fuel on the fire, especially when [the threat] couldn’t be proven one way or the other.”
NOW READ: How Trump manipulates his supporters — and the rest of America
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richardson threat empl who get in way of agenda; does not know hurric season 6 25 msnbc
ppl in rm no joke? i will run over you if block agenda
By Frances Vinall
The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was joking when he said that he didn’t know the United States had a hurricane season, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes FEMA, said on Monday.
David Richardson’s comment to staff at a briefing on Monday was first reported by Reuters and drew swift, concerned reactions from Democratic lawmakers. The Atlantic hurricane season began Sunday and ends Nov. 30, with a 60 percent chance of above-normal activity this year and three to five major hurricanes expected, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
What readers are saying
The comments express strong criticism of the Trump administration, particularly focusing on the acting head of FEMA's remark about not knowing the U.S. had a hurricane season, which was later claimed to be a joke. Many commenters view this as indicative of broader incompetence... Show more
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off bs
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FUCKERY
an 4 25
A federal judge ruled today that the Trump administration, including U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, violated his court order to unfreeze Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) relief to at least 19 states. The judge says the administration appears to be making a “covert” effort to punish states who oppose Trump’s oppressive immigration practices.
The New Republic reports U.S. District Judge John McConnell issued an injunction in March on behalf of 23 states suing the White House after the administration moved to pause FEMA aid to states. The Obama era judge ruled the hold-up “fundamentally undermines the distinct constitutional roles of each branch of our government.”
The federal reluctance applies only to states with Democratic attorneys general, and McConnell found the Trump administration ignored his March court order, with at least 19 states submitting “undisputed evidence” they were not receiving FEMA funds appropriated by Congress. Hawaii reported that FEMA had yet to respond to its $6 million request and subsequent $500k reimbursement for climate-related wildfires. The state of Oregon, meanwhile, reported that FEMA had yet to respond to a request for $129.4 million in federal funds for wildfires, severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides.
READ MORE:'Step down': Marjorie Taylor Greene blows up at GOP rep over help for new moms in Congress
“The Court’s intervention is necessary,” states wrote in a filing, because they “have continued to experience significant obstacles to accessing federal funds” while the government “reviews” spending.
Federal foot-dragging is not a “pause or a withholding of grants,” they say, “but an internal control” that appears to be used as a brick wall, with FEMA implementing a “manual review process based, covertly, on the President’s Jan. 20, 2025, executive order “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” targeting so-called “sanctuary cities.” McConnell noticed the connection between FEMA’s manual review process and the Invasion EO and ordered FEMA to “immediately cease” the manual review process and comply with his original court March order.
States became suspicious of being targeted as immigrant sanctuaries in January, after the administration released and order describing “the use of federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and Green New Deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve.”
As of today, states have not sought to hold the Trump administration in contempt.
READ MORE:'This. Will. Not. End. Well.' George Will slams Trump's 'fanciful assumptions' on economy
Click here to read the New Republic's article in full.
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AN APRIL 2025
Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders — who was once President Donald Trump's White House press secretary — is now urging him to reverse his administration's denial of her disaster relief request.
Rolling Stone reported Wednesday that Sanders' initial request for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following severe storms in her state was denied. She's since written a separate letter begging her former boss to intervene and reverse the denial.
“The severe storms and tornadoes that occurred on March 14 and 15, 2025, produced catastrophic impacts across the state. The sheer magnitude of this event resulted in overwhelming amounts of debris, widespread destruction to homes and businesses, the tragic loss of three lives and injuries to many others. Less than three weeks later, Arkansas was once again devastated by a second wave of severe storms, tornadoes, and a generational flooding event,” Sanders wrote.
READ MORE:(Opinion) Wall Street seems to have decided Trump is mentally unstable
“Without the support of a Major Disaster Declaration, Arkansas will face significant challenges in assuming full responsibility and achieving an effective recovery from this event," she continued. "I have determined that the severity and magnitude of these storms exceed the capabilities of the State and affected local governments to respond adequately. As such, supplemental Federal assistance is crucial.”
Obtaining federal disaster relief may be difficult for even ruby-red states like Arkansas during Trump's second term. He has previously floated getting rid of FEMA entirely, following the destructive wildfires in Southern California earlier this year. And a recent report found that his administration's cuts to FEMA have since put hurricane-prone red states like Florida and Texas in a perilous position as hurricane season begins in June.
FEMA found itself embroiled in politics even before Trump's victory last November. After Hurricane Helene devastated much of the South in October, agency personnel found themselves under attack following threats from local residents in North Carolina. Misinformation about FEMA first responders proliferated after the storm, and resulted in aid being temporarily paused while the agency made efforts to keep its employees safe.
The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 manifesto called for FEMA to be gutted and eventually privatized, in addition to privatizing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) which was authorized by Congress in the 1960s.
READ MORE:'Alito sounds nervous': Even notorious Trump enablers are sounding the alarm
Click here to read Rolling Stone's full report (subscription required).
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mma
February 11, 2025, edition of The Benny Show, streamed on YouTube
BENNY JOHNSON (HOST): Ladies and gentlemen, I have good and glorious news for you, and it's the reason why our stream was a minute late this morning. We have broken news of the FEMA top official, chief financial officer Mary Comans, has been fired by President Trump.
The top official at FEMA breaking here first, ladies and gentlemen, directly from our sources at DHS. FEMA is being gutted by Donald Trump.
This is the person in charge of billions of dollars in funding for FEMA who defied — please put it up — who defied President Trump and sent $60 million to criminal aliens in New York for luxury hotels, fired. Here's her photo.
We heard that they would be gutting positions. We didn't know it'd be the number one person at FEMA. How sick is the rot inside of our federal government? Breaking news this morning. This is your front seat to the golden era. Expect a lot more of this. We're working on some very big and very breaking stories. We are a dog with a bone. We are not going to let up on these corrupt, sickening bureaucrats.
More on the chief financial officer of FEMA getting walked out of the building by security, which is what just happened in Washington DC.
//
01/29/25
01/27/25
02/10/25
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Trump’s DHS freezes FEMA grant money hours after judge orders funding to be distributed
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created in 1979 under Democratic President Jimmy Carter, and Republican President George W. Bush recognized the agency's importance when FEMA was placed under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a recurring theme of the Bush Administration was that disasters were a national security matter.
But President Donald Trump, now two weeks into his nonconsecutive second term, is expressing his hostility to FEMA — a hostility that, according to Politico's Zack Colman, GOP lawmakers aren't necessarily on board with.
Trump is toying with the idea of abolishing FEMA, saying he may "recommend that FEMA go away" and adding, "I'd like to see the states take care of disasters."
READ MORE:Trump's MAGA movement says it wants a revolution. It gets a history lesson instead
"President Donald Trump's suggestions that he might shut down the federal agency charged with responding to disasters are running into trouble with Republican lawmakers," Colman reports in an article published on February 2. "Deeply red states are experiencing some of the costliest disasters, and lawmakers from those states fear that eliminating Federal Emergency Management Agency would leave them on the hook for increasingly expensive bills."
GOP lawmakers interviewed by Politico, according to Colman, drew a distinction between making changes to FEMA and abolishing it altogether after 46 years.
"While they're open to overhauling FEMA," the Politico reporter explains, "congressional Republicans said they flatly reject the idea of abolishing the agency."
Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) recently told reporters, "FEMA can't go away. I think the first job of the federal government is to protect people and property."
READ MORE:Another swing state braces for impact as Trump tariffs target state’s top 3 trading partners
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), according to Colman, is calling for FEMA to be "reorganized" but not abolished. And Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee) wants to "overhaul" the agency but acknowledged that FEMA officials worked "very hard" during Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in 2024.
A.R. Siders, a faculty member of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, told Politico, "We've seen this pattern show up in the past where a Republican senator or congressman will say, 'You know, this is too much disaster aid. We should cut back on disaster aid.' Then, a disaster happens in their state — and then suddenly, they're very pro-disaster aid. This kind of rhetoric is easy to say and hard to stick to."
aha a 3 fer?
punish CA for not voting for him, gov and AG fight/sue call him out, beat up on immigrants dem gt replace theory BS; // dems did not want to help NC hurricane?
an 1 25
'Not good': Trump proposes 'getting rid of' FEMA and conditioning California aid on voter ID
Trump intensified his attacks on the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a visit to Hurricane Helene-damaged parts of North Carolina on Friday, announcing he is planning on reforming or “getting rid of FEMA,” and proposed an unprecedented move to condition disaster relief on the passage of a voter ID law by California’s lawmakers, “as a start.” Trump’s trip, which will include travel to California later Friday, appears designed to target the emergency management agency, which he has been criticizing for months.
In what appeared to be scripted remarks, Trump later elaborated that he would “sign an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think frankly, FEMA’s not good. I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to go and, uh, whether it’s a Democrat or Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time.”
“Calling FEMA and then FEMA gets here and they don’t know the area,” Trump claimed. “They’ve never been to the area and they want to give you rules that you’ve never heard about, they wanna bring people that aren’t as good as the people you already have,” he alleged.
“FEMA turned out to be a a disaster. And you could go back a long way, you could go back to Louisiana, you could go back to some of the things that took place in Texas. And it turns out to be the state that ends up doing the work. It just complicates it. I think we’re gonna recommend that FEMA go away. And we pay directly and we pay a percentage to the state, but the state should fix it.”
RELATED: Is Trump Using Project 2025 to Eliminate FEMA?
In his wide-ranging remarks, President Trump also claimed that “rather than going through FEMA,” disaster relief aid to California and North Carolina “will go through us,” meaning, through his administration. FEMA is a federal government agency under the wide umbrella of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The president nominates the HHS Secretary, a cabinet level official, and the FEMA administrator.
And Trump appeared to say that he will assign Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley to manage financial aid to North Carolina, removing FEMA from the state.
“Trump also said FEMA would not be involved in further relief efforts and instead suggested that Whatley, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein (D), and a trio of Republican House members would be working with the White House directly because the agency ‘hasn’t done the job,'” The Independent reported.
“I wanna see two things in Los Angeles,” Trump also told reporters late Friday morning, “voter ID so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state. Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California ever has ever seen.”
“I want the water to come down and come down to Los Angeles and also go out to all the farm land that’s barren and dry,” Trump claimed. This week the President appeared to suggest that water runs only north to south.
READ MORE: Danish MP Follows Profane Message to Trump With Warning to Greenlanders on US Civil Rights
“So, I want two things,” Trump repeated, “I want voter ID for the people of California. They all want it. Right now you have no, you don’t have voter ID. People want to have to voter identification. You wanna have proof of citizenship. Ideally, you have one-day voting, but I just want voter ID to start, and I want the water to be released, and they’re gonna get a lot of help from the U.S.”
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AN 1 25
Trump, who made baseless attacks against FEMA during his 2024 campaign, suggested on Wednesday night that he wants to defund the Homeland Security emergency management agency and shift the burden for disaster relief to individual states. The move would revoke federal responsibility for managing crises like hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding, and wildfires. While his remarks appear to align with The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, he appears to have gone further in appointing an interim FEMA head who reportedly “does not appear to have experience coordinating responses to large scale disasters.”
Although he has repeatedly denied knowing anything about Project 2025, despite at least 140 of his former administration’s officials having been involved with the program, President Trump appears to be following the far-right plan to eliminate or largely downsize the 45-year-old agency. Its current incarnation was created by President Jimmy Carter, but the federal government of the United States has been assisting states with disaster relief for well over 200 years.
“Now, I will say that Los Angeles has changed everything, because a lot of money’s gonna be necessary for Los Angeles, and a lot of people on the other side want that to happen,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in a pre-taped interview that aired Wednesday night (video below). In recent weeks, California’s wildfires, fueled in part by climate change according to Scientific American, have decimated large swaths of the Los Angeles area, killing dozens of people.
READ MORE: ‘Road to Chaos’: Trump Orders ‘Thousands’ of Troops and ‘Illegal’ Arrests at Border
“Well, they don’t care about North Carolina. The Democrats don’t care about North Carolina. What they’ve done with FEMA is so bad. FEMA is a whole other discussion. Because all it does is complicate everything,” Trump baselessly charged. “FEMA has not done their job for the last four years. You know, I had FEMA working really well, we had hurricanes in Florida, we had Alabama, tornadoes, we had. — but unless you have certain types of leadership, it’s really, it gets in the way.”
“And FEMA is gonna be a whole big discussion very shortly because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” Trump declared, alluding to wanting to dismantle the agency. “If they have a tornado, someplace, and if they have — let that state, Oklahoma is very competent. I love Oklahoma. 77 out a 77 districts and uh that’s never been done,” he claimed, referring to his Electoral College win.
On Thursday, The Independent reported, “Trump wants to shut down the Federal Emergency Management Agency and let states handle their own disaster needs.”
Project 2025 describes the Department of Homeland Security as a “bloated” bureaucracy that would “provide real opportunities for a conservative Administration to cut billions in spending and limit government’s role in Americans’ lives.”
It calls for “privatizing” FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, and “reforming FEMA emergency spending to shift the majority of preparedness and response costs to states and localities instead of the federal government,” as well as “eliminating most of DHS’s grant programs, and removing all unions in the department for national security purposes.”
Trump’s remark, “I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” is similar to a portion of Project 2025’s proposal.
But Trump appears to have taken yet another step that could harm FEMA.
READ MORE: Trump May Invite J6 Pardoned Convicts to the White House: CNN
Trump has appointed a former Navy SEAL, Cameron Hamilton, who “does not appear to have experience coordinating responses to large-scale disasters, like the wildfires in California,” to be the interim head of FEMA, according to The New York Times.
“Mr. Hamilton is an unusual choice to lead the agency, even in a temporary capacity. Since Hurricane Katrina, when the federal response was severely criticized, FEMA has been led by disaster management professionals who have run state or local emergency management agencies, or were regional administrators at FEMA,” the Times reported. “Mr. Hamilton does not appear to have experience coordinating responses to large scale disasters like the wildfires that are raging in Los Angeles or the hurricanes, floods and earthquakes that FEMA typically manages.”
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mma 10 24
Misinformation about the responses to hurricanes Helene and Milton— ranging from accusations that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is failing to mobilize resources to hard-hit areas to conspiracytheories that the government controls the weather — has surged across social media platforms in the past several weeks.
Media Matters found content on TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, and X where users expressed interest in traveling to instigate violence toward FEMA workers in North Carolina or said they supported others doing so.
The threats have forced FEMA to take safety precautions while distributing aid, and in one county, temporarily pause aid altogether. In Rutherford County, North Carolina, and Carter County, Tennessee, FEMA workers faced threats of violence from armed civilians.
Following online misinformation about the federal response to Hurricane Helene, FEMA faced threats of violence
According to The Washington Post, on October 12, North Carolina resident William Jacob Parsons was arrested after Rutherford County officials received a tip that “a white male had an assault rifle” and had made comments about going to harm FEMA employees.
There were initial reports that U.S. military personnel "had come across … trucks of armed militia saying they were out hunting FEMA” but further investigation revealed that the threat was “more limited.” FEMA was operating in the area again as of October 13, but the Post reported that the agency was “working out of an abundance of caution” by stationing their operations at fixed locations instead of going door to door.
On October 15, a group of disaster relief workers said they came across a group of armed individuals confronting FEMA workers in Carter County, Tennessee.
“They were all armed, open carry not guns drawn, but they had surrounded them and there was a lady there that was yelling and threatening them,” said veteran volunteer Tracy Elder. WJHL reported that “During the confrontation, Elder did call 911 because she said they weren’t being rational,” but she was ultimately able to diffuse the situation.
Anxiety around potential encounters with armed civilians follows the proliferation of false claims on social media that FEMA has been “obstructing” or confiscating supplies or closing roads and bridges, preventing residents from leaving.
Social media users said they plan on forming armed convoys to go to North Carolina or support militias that are mobilizing against FEMA
Media Matters found social media content with significant engagement, including videos with tens of thousands of views, implying that armed civilians should confront FEMA. Some of these creators say they are part of active groups, though there aren’t currently reports of FEMA encountering armed militias.
Additionally, Media Matters found examples of users on alt-tech sites like Gab, Gettr, and Truth Social explicitly encouraging harming or killing FEMA workers.
One TikTok account with a username that seemingly implies violence against federal employees said — in a video with 322,000 views — that they are “part of a group that we are willing to get you through any and all roadblocks by any means necessary. Any means necessary. You know what I mean.” The original has been deleted, but as of this writing the video is still viewable on the app via repost.
On October 3, one TikTok user claimed without evidence in a video with over 60,000 views that “FEMA turned guns on people trying to help out.” He claimed that it was “confirmed by Newsmax.”
Another account appeared to be recruiting “special forces, SEAL teams, Rangers, Marines, anybody that has combat experience” to “build the team” prior to Hurricane Helene. The same account later began raising money for a 25-hour drive to North Carolina. In one video that has since been deleted, the TikTok user said that, “FEMA has no idea what’s coming” and that “we’re going to get our meat.”
Media Matters also previously found an October 5 video specifically calling for TikTok users to “organize” a convoy against FEMA, and another encouraging them to “stand by awaiting the rally point” to defend the country against “domestic enemies.” Both have been taken down from the app.
One TikTok user claimed on October 8 that a militia was going to Chimney Rock in Rutherford County, North Carolina to “stop the bulldozing and stop the mines.” He then said “y'all boys get started, give me a call. Let’s drain this fucking swamp.”
Accompanying support for armed militias in North Carolina were calls for sheriffs to arrest FEMA workers on X and Facebook. On X, Newsmax host Todd Starnes wrote, “It is only a matter of time until law enforcement in North Carolina physically remove FEMA and any other federl assets who are impending rescue efforts and relief deliveries. The government is playing a very dangerous game.”
A video of North Carolina Sheriff Tripp Kester “calling for local citizens to form militias to protect the Constitution” has been shared widely on Telegram, TikTok, Facebook, and X. The posts claim that he “calls for local citizens to form militias to protect the Constitution … either by voting, or God forbid, to use our 2nd amendment rights to protect ourselves from tyranny.” But the video is actually from 2020 when the sheriff was reacting to a proposed bill that was labeled as a “gun grab.”
In a video shared on Telegram, Jeremy Herrell, a host on the right-wing streaming network LFA TV, claimed that “the Sheriff departments are literally banning together with the fire departments and saying that they will arrest any federal employee that tries to impede on any rescue or relief by claiming jurisdiction.”
One TikTok user appears to be attempting to organize a gathering of some sort in Washington, D.C., from November 15-17 to “make your bullshit insurrection look like chump change.” The account previously posted at least one video promoting misinformation about the response to Hurricane Helene.
FEMA, the White House, and the media have been actively combatting pervasive misinformation about Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Fearing the exact scenario that is currently playing out in North Carolina and Tennessee, both FEMA and the White House made a point to push back against false claims about recovery efforts.
FEMA created a “Myth vs. Fact” page in an attempt to dispel rumors and President Joe Biden misinformation twice in televised appearances, triggering more backlash from right-wing media.
Several media outlets have debunked claims that FEMA is purposefully withholding aid and highlighted the agencies’ efforts.
Biden has urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to take action in Congress to approve additional aid for FEMA. Johnson has refused because “It would be premature to call everyone back now, because these storms are so large in their scope and magnitude, it's going to take a little bit of time to make those calculations.”
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mma
“Your time is coming when Trump wins": MAGA media figures claim FEMA committed treason
One commentator said: “Hang them by the necks till they're dead ... I believe it's way past time for an armed revolution.”
Written by Eric Hananoki
Published 10/15/24 4:45 PM EDT
Numerous Trump-aligned media figures have accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its officials of committing treason over its handling of Hurricane Helene.
Those right-wing figures have said that “whoever is running FEMA is guilty of treason your time is coming when Trump wins”; that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “should be in prison for the treason he has perpetrated against this country”; and that someone should “hang” government officials “by the necks till they're dead and let their dead bodies rot while people see what is done to treasonous government. ... I believe it's way past time for an armed revolution.”
This kind of rhetoric is part of a larger theme: Former President Donald Trump and his media allies have repeatedly promised retribution against government officials and the media if he wins a second term in office.
Media Matters has been documenting the spread of conspiracy theories in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Pro-Trump allies, including those who are scheduled to appear at Trump-affiliated events in North Carolina, have been pushing the conspiracy theory that weather manipulation caused the recent hurricanes.
Vitriol against FEMA has already resulted in real-world consequences. A North Carolina man was arrested for allegedly making an anti-FEMA threats, and The Washington Post reported that “threats against federal emergency response personnel have hampered relief work in parts of western North Carolina hard hit by Hurricane Helene, prompting disaster workers to relocate because of safety concerns and feeding a cycle of fear and anxiety.”
Numerous right-wing media figures, including those linked to Trump, have claimed that FEMA and its officials are guilty of “treason,” with some suggesting that they should be killed.
The Hodgetwins are a podcasting duo that promotes false claims and anti-trans vitriol. They have been by now-Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump and have met Trump, who has promoted them online.
They wrote: “Whoever is running FEMA is guilty of treason Your time is coming when Trump wins.”
Charlie Kirk is a right-wing podcaster who frequently pushes toxic rhetoric and conspiracy theories. He is a key Trump ally who heads a group that’s been tasked with helping Trump’s get-out-the-vote efforts.
He ran a segment that he headlined “Hurricane Helene Aid Withheld? FEMA Whistleblowers Expose A Treasonous Misuse of Taxpayer Money” and said of the alleged misuse: “It is treason.”
SGT Report is a far-right show that promotes conspiracy theories, including QAnon. Trump administration officials Kash Patel, Peter Navarro, and Mike Flynn have appeared on the show.
The show ran an episode that included the description: “Chaos, death and destruction brought to you by the criminal and treasonous Biden-Harris administration. The official tally of the dead from hurricane Helene currently stands at 227 but thousands of Americans are missing and presumed dead and FEMA under Biden-Harris is doing LESS THAN NOTHING, in fact, FEMA is standing in the way of search and recovery. Brent Johnson believes these corrupt politicians should be tried and hanged from the neck until dead for their treason. LISTEN!”
During the program, the host began by claiming: “It is treason. In fact, friends, it's worse than treason. I want you to think about this. If you planned a war against the people over which you rule using their own money and resources, isn't this just exactly how you would do it?”
Brent Johnson, a fringe commentator and author, said: “My solution, though, is considered to be a bit too radical. I would haul them all out. I would have the militia come in, pick them up, OK? Whisk them away someplace, try them, convict them and execute them, hang them by the necks till they're dead and let their dead bodies rot while people see what is done to treasonous government thugs. But, hey, that's just me, you know? And people would say, ‘I'm being outrageous. I'm being, I'm being too radical. I'm being, you know, I want war.’ I don't want war. I'm actually one of the most peace loving people around. But these people are vicious and evil.” He later added: “I believe it's way past time for an armed revolution.”
Stew Peters is a Hitler-praising antisemite who has promoted numerous conspiracy theories and calls for violence. Numerous Trump-linked officials have appeared on his show, including Republican National Committee lawyer Christina Bobb; and Trump administration officials Kash Patel and Peter Navarro.
He wrote on social media: “Alejandro Mayorkas is a lying subversive parasite and should be tried for TREASON” followed by the rat emoji and the skull and crossbones emoji.
Wayne Allyn Root is a radio host and conspiracy theorist. He at a Trump rally and has Trump, who has in turn frequently promoted Root online.
Root said on his radio show on October 7 of Hurricane Helene: “But even if you don't believe that's what someone's purposely doing, even if this is just nature and it's just pure bad luck right before an election, hmm, strange. But even if you don't believe that — the response to Helene is the worst response in history, everyone involved should be tried for treason. Kamala, Mayorkas, they all should be tried for treason, what they've done to the people of North Carolina.”
Sean Davis is the CEO and co-founder of the right-wing publication The Federalist. He has repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories, including claiming that “Democrats are preparing to use the military to steal the 2024 election and prevent their opponents from lawfully taking power.”
He wrote in response to a clip of Mayorkas discussing FEMA funding: “He should be in prison for the treason he has perpetrated against this country.”
Jane Ruby is a health misinformer who has pushed the conspiracy theory that Hurricane Helene was the result of weather manipulation. She is scheduled to speak in North Carolina on the ReAwaken America tour with Trump’s “inner circle.”
She wrote on social media: “Time For States NC, TN, FL, GA To KICK OUT FED GOVT/FEMA The fed govt is shutting down roads, blocking civilian rescue missions, and confiscating donations This is more than overreach, it is an ACT OF TREASON.”
Glenn Beck is a right-wing radio host who became a household name for his conspiracy theories on his now-defunct Fox News program. He was recently part of a Trump campaign event.
His website recently wrote of a rant on his program:
Glenn was and still is disgusted by the flippancy of the organization that should be at the forefront of meeting the needs of Americans, whose taxpayer dollars fund the agency.
The second time he saw FEMA agents, they were building showers — not for displaced victims but rather for volunteers.
“FEMA is despicable,” says Glenn in disgust. “I don’t like calling people traitors, and I won’t today, but I will tell you — a case could be made that there are a lot of people that are bordering on the line of treason.”
The people running FEMA are included on that list.
CNN 19 24
A North Carolina man was arrested over the weekend for allegedly threatening harm against FEMA employees responding to Hurricane Helene, according to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
William Jacob Parsons, 44, was arrested and charged with Going Armed to the Terror of the Public, a misdemeanor, Capt. Jamie Keever said in a news release issued Monday.
“Parsons was armed with a handgun and a rifle,” Keever said.
William Jacob Parsons
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office
The sheriff’s office began investigating Saturday after receiving a call that a man “made the comment about possibly harming FEMA employees working after the disaster of Hurricane Helene in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area.”
Parsons was found later that day after investigators received information about the color and license plate of his vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
Parsons was arrested in his car outside a grocery store that is functioning as a storm relief site, Keever said.
Parsons is now free on a $10,000 secured bond, the sheriff’s office said.
It was not immediately clear if Parsons had an attorney. CNN was unable to reach Parsons Monday at any of the phone numbers listed in his name.
Threat caused some FEMA offices to close
Aid to several communities impacted by Hurricane Helene was temporarily paused in parts of North Carolina over the weekend due to reports of threats against Federal Emergency Management Agency 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.”
[
Related articleHow to apply for FEMA aid after Hurricanes Helene and Milton](https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/politics/fema-aid-how-to-apply)
On Saturday, FEMA workers had to halt their work in Rutherford County due to reports National Guard troops saw “armed militia” threatening the workers, CNN affiliate WBTV confirmed after reviewing messages sent to employees of a FEMA contractor. The threats were first reported by the Washington Post.
In the announcement of Parsons’ arrest, Keever said, “It was determined Parsons acted alone and there were no truck loads of militia going to Lake Lure.”
Rutherford County is southeast of the hard-hit Asheville area, and part of the mountainous region slammed by deadly flooding and landslides as Helene carved a path of destruction through the Southeast after making landfall in Florida last month. More than 100 people were killed in North Carolina and thousands of others were left grappling with catastrophic damage.
“We are aware of significant misinformation online and reports of threats to response workers on the ground and the safety of responders must be taken seriously,” said Jordan Monaghan, deputy communications director for North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. “The Governor has directed the Department of Public Safety to identify with local law enforcement the specific threats and rumors and coordinate with FEMA and other partners to ensure safety and security as this recovery effort continues.”
Some FEMA operations were also paused Sunday in Ashe County, near the borders of Tennessee and Virginia, out of an abundance of caution, Sheriff B. Phil Howell said on Facebook. This included in-person applications for aid in at least two locations “due to threats occurring in some counties,” according to the county’s emergency management office. Those locations reopened Monday, the sheriff and emergency management office announced.
Howell urged residents to “stay calm and steady during our recovery, help folks and please don’t stir the pot.”
FEMA interruptions delay aid to victims
The delays to in-person work by FEMA will only slow down aid from reaching those who need it, especially in the complex terrain of western North Carolina, former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate told CNN.
Disaster applicants can start the process online and receive partial aid, but FEMA officials need to see the damage in person to finalize the request and get money into the hands of disaster survivors faster.
“Ultimately, they’re going to have to get inspectors in there and that could slow things down for people,” Fugate said. “Getting into these areas to verify this is where people live, this is their home, validate the damages caused by the disaster.”
FEMA continues to assess potential threats to its staff in impacted areas and the agency is coordinating with local officials on the safety of its employees and will make future adjustments as needed, the spokesperson said.
There were more than 1,200 FEMA staff providing support in North Carolina as of Saturday, according to an update from the agency. More than 250 Urban Search and Rescue personnel remained in the field and had rescued or supported more than 3,200 survivors, the update said.
Misinformation ‘unlike anything we’ve seen before’
Misinformation circulating about the federal response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton has hampered response efforts to the storms, CNN previously reported. President Joe Biden requested information last week on the federal government’s digital response, including how officials were remediating misinformation, an administration official said.
[
Related articleInside the White House’s desperate scramble to swat down hurricane misinformation](https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/09/politics/white-house-hurricane-helene-misinformation)
“The contours of this misinformation are unlike anything we’ve seen before,” a senior Biden administration official told CNN.
Fugate said individual FEMA personnel have received threats in the past but on a much smaller scale.
“In the field, it’s rare,” Fugate said. “This is unprecedented. I know we’ve had individuals but not an area or a group that’s threatening FEMA.”
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.
Earlier this month, the public information officer for Rutherford County, Kerry Giles, told CNN, debunking the rumors “did consume resources that could have been more effectively utilized in the recovery efforts.” Rutherford and surrounding counties have been posting photos and information about aid efforts to combat the misinformation.
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