Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator DeAnne Criswell said the agency is short on field personnel in states affected by Hurricane Helen, and the federal government does not have enough personnel. He pushed back against former President Trump's “totally false'' claim that there was no one. Recovery assistance available for storm victims.
Criswell said in an interview with CNN on Tuesday that he is concerned that the Republican presidential candidate's claims could deter people from getting the help they need and are entitled to.
“His accusations are completely false,” Criswell told anchor Kate Bolduan. “Just because there aren’t people on the ground wearing FEMA shirts doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there.”
“Our state emergency operations center is staffed. [EOC]. There is a team walking around the neighborhood. I have a team that works with every EOC in the county,” she continued.
Criswell said there are more than 3,400 federal agents on the ground in North Carolina alone, and that the federal government is “doing more work as we address recovery and the long-term needs of these communities.” We will continue to invest resources.”
Former President Trump repeatedly called the federal government's response to Hurricane Helen “weak” and claimed there were not enough FEMA agents in the hurricane-hit areas.
In an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News over the weekend, President Trump took aim at available federal recovery funds, repeating rumors that: Error exposed by FEMAthe government agency says it will only provide $750 to help disaster survivors recover.
“So we're investing almost $300 billion in Ukraine and they're giving people $750 for the worst hurricane anyone has ever seen,” Trump said. the president said.
Criswell expressed concern about how Trump's false claims will affect recovery efforts.
“We really have to stop this rhetoric, because what this rhetoric is doing is putting fear into people that we're not going to be there to help them. ” Criswell said. “And we are concerned that they will not enroll in our assistance and will not be able to access the critical resources for which they are eligible.”
Her remarks come amid a broader effort by the federal government to push back on misleading claims about its response to the hurricane. FEMA is Set up a new website The article is titled “Hurricane Helen: Responding to Rumors'' and deals with specific rumors.
FEMA also Various disaster support possible We provided the following guidance to residents affected by the hurricane: How to apply for assistance.
