FEMA visits resume in North Carolina after threats

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resumed visits in North Carolina following alleged threats targeting the agency’s personnel, according to agency Administrator Deanne Criswell. 

“We now have resumed all normal operations, and I have people going door to door, and we continue to be in the field,” Criswell said during a Tuesday press briefing. 

FEMA temporarily suspended aid in some parts of North Carolina over the weekend. Ashe County Sheriff Phil Howell said Sunday the agency’s staff in the Tar Heel State’s mountain region were targeted by threats. 

“So let me be clear, I take these threats seriously, and the safety of these responders is and will remain a priority for me and my team,” Criswell said. 

“Now, over the weekend, out of an abundance of caution, we made operational changes to keep FEMA personnel safe, but none of the changes we made impacted ongoing search and rescue or other life safety operations,” she continued, adding that canvassing operations have restarted Monday.

A man in North Carolina was arrested Saturday after threatening to harm FEMA employees who were helping in the Hurricane Helene recovery operation, per Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. The man was identified as William Jacobs Parsons, 44, by law enforcement officials. Parsons was armed with a rifle and a handgun. 

The alleged threats against FEMA workers come as misinformation regarding the agency’s response to Hurricane Helene spiked as natural disasters hit Southeastern states over the last few weeks. 

Criswell said that misinformation “will not deter us from our mission of helping people, period. This is what we are here to do, and I want to set the story straight.”