Since Hurricane Helen devastated parts of western North Carolina last week, Former President Donald Trump Tragedy has taken over To perpetuate the lie As for the federal response, officials are scrambling to help victims as chaos and confusion sow.
In recent days, Trump has repeatedly and falsely suggested that the federal government is deliberately neglecting areas of Republican voters, that it is providing emergency aid to immigrants instead of disaster response, and that it is giving only $750 in aid to hurricane victims.
“I’ll be there soon, but I don’t like the reports I’m getting about the federal government and state Democrat governors going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas,” he said. Satya wrote on Social 30 September.
None of those claims are true, but federal officials say Trump’s delusions — which have been condemned by regional Republican leaders — can further harm relief efforts and deter people who need help from pursuing it. This is certainly making aid distribution more difficult with disaster recovery officials War of lies wasting valuable timeincluding by Setting up a company website to deal with them. Dean Criswell, The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said the level of confusion is at such a level [she’s] “Never seen before.”
As of now, Helen is presumed dead Thousands of homes and businesses And More than 220 people lost their liveswashing out Dozens of roads And the whole city. FEMA, which is the government agency dedicated to disaster relief, also said it provided upward $210 million in aid for Helen’s victimsincluding 15.6 million meals and 13.9 million liters of water.
Trump’s lies come as he and others on the right — With Tesla’s Elon Musk – Trying to use the recent natural disaster as a political wedge in the 2024 presidential election.
Below are some of the lies Trump has promoted about Helen and what we know about what really happened.
Trump’s lies, dissected
Claim: The federal government isn’t helping Republican precincts in western North Carolina.
“They’re being treated very badly in Republican precincts,” Trump said this in a Fox News 30 September interview. “They’re not getting water, nothing.”
Reality: There is FEMA Administrator Criswell As described in this complaint “Blankly ridiculous and just plain false.”
The agency’s data shows it distributed significant sums to states that voted for Trump in 2020, as well as those that did not. An Oct. 7 per FEMA In the press release, the agency greenlit $32 million in aid for families in North Carolina, $87 million for families in Florida, $57 million for families in South Carolina, and $632,000 for families in Tennessee — which supported Trump in 2020. It also approved $31 million for families in Georgia, and about $500,000 for families in Virginia, both of which voted for Biden in 2020. Roughly 84 percent of the $210 million in Hurricane Helen response funding went to states that supported Trump in 2020.
The Republican governors of South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee applauded Speed of government responseand regional North Carolina GOP lawmakersIncluding state Sen. Kevin Corbin, there are Urge people to stop spreading misinformation. some news The report indicates Help took longer to reach more remote, rural areas – and lack of accessibility and cell service made getting support a challenge in many places. (However, there is no evidence that these delays were politically motivated.)
Earlier, NBC News reporter Garrett Haacke Questioned the former president directly He had to back up this claim with evidence, and Trump provided none.
Claim: Kamala Harris gave FEMA funding to immigrants.
“Orange has spent all of its FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing illegal immigrants, many of whom should not be in our country,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan on Thursday.
Reality: “It’s a lie. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs,” FEMA note.
The agency oversees a program called the Shelter and Services Program that was allocated $650 million in funding for housing for immigrants through fiscal year 2024. This funding actually comes from the US Customs and Border Patrol budget, but FEMA helps oversee the program’s implementation. As such, this fund is completely separate from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), which FEMA collects to assist during natural disasters. DRF received about $45 billion in funding between the fiscal year 2024 budget and a supplemental appropriations bill.
“Disaster relief funds are not diverted to other disaster-related efforts,” FEMA said
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that the DRF The money could run out before the end of hurricane season Due to the severity of this year’s storms. House Republicans, however, Refused to return to Congress To approve more funding before the November election.
Claim: FEMA is only giving $750 to people affected by the hurricane.
“They are offering their $750 to those whose houses have been washed away. And yet we send billions of dollars to foreign countries most people have never heard of. They are offering them for $750. They are destroyed. These people have been destroyed,” Trump said at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last Saturday.
Reality: FEMA has a program –Need serious help — It gives recipients $750 each if they qualify, one of the many types of aid disaster victims can receive.
D Barriers to qualification are lowMost people affected by the storm are likely eligible, and recipients are not limited to this $750 support.
Rapid relief is supposed to be provided to people who need cash to meet immediate needs such as water, food, and first aid. The relief is intended to help temporarily while people wait to hear approval of other assistance programs that could provide stronger funding for major issues like home repairs.
This misinformation can cause real damage
A major concern expressed by multiple FEMA officials is that Trump’s lies will erode people’s trust in the agency and reduce their openness to applying for the help they need.
“It’s reducing the likelihood that survivors will come to FEMA with a trusted way to register for assistance,” Keith Turi, acting associate administrator for response and recovery, told reporters earlier this week. “That misinformation is directly affecting our ability to help people, and it’s unfortunate because these people have gone through a very painful time.”
The reason for this concern is that concrete influence may be misinformation as it is shared and reconstructed by prominent leaders. As the Washington Post reported, A rumored dam burst in western North Carolina last week displaced hundreds of people and diverted valuable first responder resources. Criswell expressed concern that these lies could make life more difficult for FEMA workers in the field: In a viral online postOne person suggested that the people should form a militia to counter the agency.
As Trump’s misinformation about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio also made clear, the lies he spreads can have damaging and immediate real-world consequences. In that case, Trump falsely suggested that Haitian immigrants were eating people’s house pets, making bomb threats at schools as well as committing property violence against people living in Springfield.
