The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) temporarily stopped aid efforts in parts of North Carolina after alleged threats against workers aiding in recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene.
The Hill reported that Ashe County Sheriff Phil Howell said Sunday that FEMA personnel in North Carolina’s “mountain region” were targeted by threats.
FEMA, therefore, took precautionary steps and paused aid operations at other FEMA sites.
Neither Ashe County nor its surrounding counties were targeted by the threats, Howell said.
“Out of an abundance of caution, they have paused their process as they are assessing the threats,” Howell said in a Facebook post Sunday morning.
This morning, he posted another notice, stating Ashe FEMA lications have started back up.
On Sunday, Ashe County Emergency Management said FEMA staff would not be taking applications in a couple of towns.
“It is our understanding that all FEMA reps in NC were stood down due to threats occurring in some counties,” it said. “We have not received any official correspondence on this issue from FEMA.”
The Washington Post reported about an email from a federal official which notified other federal agencies that “FEMA has advised all federal responders Rutherford County, N.C., to stand down and evacuate the county immediately.
According to the message, National Guard troops “‘had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA.’”
The Post reported FEMA personnel were back working by Sunday afternoon, citing an anonymous U.S. Forest Service official.
The alleged threat follows misinformation circulating regarding FEMA’s recovery response to Hurricane Helene, ravaged many Southern states.
