FEMA workers forced to relocate in certain Helene-hit areas due to threats

Federal Emergency Management Agency workers had to briefly redirect their Helene aid efforts in North Carolina due to threats.

FEMA announced that its officials would work from a fixed location in Rutherford County and stop door-to-door duty as they regularly do during these incidents.

The adjustments lasted only a few hours until local police arrested a man who had threatened FEMA workers with a rifle, saying he was "hunting" them, CBS reported.

The state and federal response includes thousands of FEMA workers. According to AP, North Carolina officials say it has been the largest in the state's history.

The size of the operation is appropriate. Hurricane Helene was one of the most devastating natural disasters in the Southwest. It killed at least 230 people.

According to FEMAS's statement to the news agency, in addition to the disaster, many of its workers have also been fighting misinformation.

AP News said one of the most damaging conspiracy theories claims the government is seeking to seize land from victims to mine lithium in a North Carolina community.

Online rumors also claimed aid recipients would only receive $750 from the agency. Others said the Federal Government was planning to bulldoze entire towns.

The lies have dissuaded citizens entitled to aid to apply for it, Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told CBS. They have also fueled distrust against FEMA workers.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told the AP that the false narratives demoralize the staff and volunteers on the ground and take valuable time they could use for other tasks.

The New York Times said politicians and foreign influence operatives sometimes fuel misinformation around Helene. AP News gathered some of the most widely spread lies.

Republican candidate Donald Trump amplified a rumor that Democratic officials are denying aid to Republican communities. He also said FEMA redirected aid funds to immigrants, which is a lie.

Elon Musk and Mark Robinson, the GOP candidate for North Carolina governor, also chipped in. Mr. Musk tweeted that the Federal Aviation Agency blocked private aid planes.

It "is just disheartening," Bryan King, the chairman of the Rutherford County Commission, told The NY Times about the lithium conspiracy theory. It can dissuade people from applying for financial aid.

Samantha Montano, an emergency management expert at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, told the newspaper she had never seen this much disinformation around a disaster during her 20-year career.

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