Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), pushed back on former President Trump’s “completely false” claims that the agency lacks on-the-ground personnel in states devastated by Hurricane Helene and that the federal government does not have adequate recovery aid available for victims of the storm.
Criswell said in a Tuesday interview on CNN that she is concerned the claims from the Republican presidential nominee could dissuade people from getting the help they need — and are eligible for.
“His accusations are just completely false,” Criswell told anchor Kate Bolduan. “Just because you don’t see somebody on the ground in a FEMA shirt doesn’t mean that we don’t have people there.”
“We have people that are embedded in the state emergency operations center [EOC]. I have teams that are walking around neighborhoods. I have teams that are embedded with all of the county EOCs,” she continued.
Criswell said there are more than 3,400 personnel from federal agencies on the ground in North Carolina alone, and said the federal government “will continue to bring in more resources as we go into the recovery and the long-term needs that these communities have.”
Former President Trump has repeatedly called the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene “weak,” and he claimed that FEMA does not have enough people on the ground in the areas affected by the hurricane.
In an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News over the weekend, Trump took aim at the federal recovery funds available and repeated a rumor, debunked by FEMA, that the agency will only provide $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery.
“So we’re into almost $300 billion for Ukraine, and yet they’re offering people $750 for the worst hurricane that anybody’s seen,” Trump said. Ingraham noted that amount was only for immediate needs.
Criswell expressed concern about how Trump’s false claims would impact recovery efforts.
“We really have just got to stop this rhetoric because what it’s doing is it’s putting fear in the people that we’re not going to be there to help them,” Criswell said. “And I worry that they won’t register for assistance with us and get access to the critical resources that they are eligible for.”
Her remarks come amid a broad effort by the federal government to push back on misleading claims about its response to the hurricane. FEMA has set up a new website titled “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response,” which addresses specific rumors.
FEMA also outlined the various forms of disaster aid available to residents affected by the hurricane and instructed them on ways to apply for the assistance.