RALEIGH, N.C. — Federal disaster workers paused and then changed some of their hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina, including abandoning door-to-door visits, after receiving threats that they could be targeted by a militia, officials said, as the government response to Helene is targeted by runaway disinformation.
The threats emerged over the weekend. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Monday that it received a call Saturday about a man with an assault rifle who made a comment "about possibly harming" employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency working in the hard-hit areas of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, in the North Carolina mountains.
FEMA employee Jirau Alvaro works with Daniel Mancini, doing a report on the damage to his property on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 in rural Buncombe County, near Black Mountain, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP)
Authorities got a description of a suspect's vehicle and license plate and later identified him as William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic. Sheriff's officials said in a statement that Parsons — who was armed with a handgun and a rifle — was charged with "going armed to the terror of the public," a misdemeanor. He was released after posting bond.
People are also reading…
The sheriff's office said initial reports indicated that a "truckload of militia" was involved in making the threat, but further investigation determined that Parsons acted alone.
Messages left seeking comment at phone listings for Parsons and a possible relative were not immediately returned.
In a Facebook post, Ashe County Sheriff B. Phil Howell said the Federal Emergency Management Agency put some work on hold as it assessed the threats.
"Stay calm and steady during our recovery, help folks and please don't stir the pot," Howell wrote Sunday.
FEMA employee Jirau Alvaro works with Daniel Mancini, doing a report on the damage to his property on Sunday, October 6, 2024 in rural Buncombe County, near Black Mountain, N.C. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP)
FEMA confirmed in a statement Monday that it adjusted operations. It emphasized that disaster-recovery centers remain open and that FEMA continues "to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery."
Workers from the agency's disaster-assistance teams — who help survivors apply for FEMA assistance and connect them with additional state and local resources — have stopped going door to door and instead are working from fixed locations while the potential threats are assessed, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they could not publicly discuss details of the operations.
The person stressed that FEMA was making the adjustments "out of an abundance of caution."
FEMA did not immediately provide details on the threats.
Gov. Roy Cooper's staff said in a statement Monday that his office was aware of "reports of threats to response workers on the ground," as well as "significant misinformation online." Cooper directed state law enforcement officials to work with local authorities to identify "the specific threats and rumors."
The Washington Post reported Sunday that the U.S. Forest Service, which is supporting hurricane recovery work, sent a message to multiple federal agencies, warning that FEMA had advised all federal responders in Rutherford County to leave the county immediately.
The message stated that National Guard troops had encountered "armed militia" saying they were "out hunting FEMA."
FEMA has faced rampant disinformation about its response to Helene, which hit Florida on Sept. 26 before heading north and leaving a trail of destruction across six states.
Critics allege the agency is not doing enough to help survivors, while false rumors circulating ahead of the presidential election include claims that people taking federal relief money could see their land seized or that FEMA is halting trucks full of supplies.
Meanwhile, confusion has arisen about what the agency does and doesn't do when disaster strikes.
State or tribal governments can reach out to ask for federal assistance. But the disaster has to exceed their ability to respond, meaning that not all disasters end up getting federal help. The president approves disaster declarations.
Once an emergency is declared, that can unleash various types of aid from FEMA. Much of what the agency does is give out money in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and for years to come.
That can include assistance to individuals affected by disasters, such as payments of $750 to pay for immediate needs like medicine or diapers. It can also mean additional money to rent an apartment because their home is destroyed or to pay for a storage unit.
Helene decimated remote towns throughout the Appalachians, left millions without power, knocked out cellular service and killed at least 243 people. It was the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005.
___
Brumfield reported from Baltimore.
Photos: Hurricane Helene inundates the southeastern US
Thomas Chaves, left, and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters Friday from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves's mother's house in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Fla. Authorities were trying to get a handle on the storm's extreme swath of destruction, which stretched across Florida, Georgia and much of the southeastern U.S., leaving at least 30 people dead in four states and millions without power.
Workers clear debris Friday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Cedar Key, Fla. Tangled piles of nail-spiked lumber and displaced boats littered the streets. A house lay crushed under a fern-covered oak tree toppled by the winds.
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken at 5:46 p.m. EDT and provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico moving towards Florida, Thursday, Sept. 26 2024. (NOAA via AP)Â The Category 4 hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) and made landfall late Thursday where Florida's Panhandle and peninsula meet, a rural region home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways.
Residents are rescued from floodwaters Friday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Crystal River, Fla. Residents waded or paddled through ruddy floodwaters, hoping to find their loved ones safe, and rescue crews used fan boats to evacuate stranded people in bathrobes or wrapped in blankets.
A Citrus County firefighter carries 11-year-old Michael Cribbins while conducting rescues in floodwaters Friday in Crystal River, Fla., after Hurricane Helene.
Halle Brooks kayaks Friday down a street flooded by Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Fla. The damage reached much farther. Hospitals in southern Georgia were left without electricity as officials warned of severe damage to the power grid, and streets in Atlanta plunged into reddish-brown water. In Tennessee, dozens of people were rescued from a hospital roof, and authorities ordered the evacuation of downtown Newport, a city of about 7,000 residents, due to the “catastrophic failure†of a dam.
Faith Cotto comforts her mother, Nancy, as they look at the remnants of their home Friday in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Fla. The house burned during flooding from Hurricane Helene.
A man and his dog are rescued Thursday after his sailboat became disabled during Hurricane Helene approximately 25 miles off Sanibel Island, Fla.
A boat rests on a street Friday after being relocated during flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in Hudson, Fla. It was the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an above-average season this year because of record-warm ocean temperatures.
A person looks over a flooded street due to Hurricane Helene late Thursday in New Port Richey, Fla.
A patron looks at flooding Friday from Hurricane Helene in the Paces neighborhood of Atlanta.
A partially submerged vehicle sits in floodwater Friday after Hurricane Helene passed in Atlanta.
An American flag sits in floodwaters Friday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Fla. Floodwaters inundated cars and buildings, and the winds ripped off the roofs of businesses, houses and churches.
Bradley Tennant looks through his house Friday flooded with water from Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Fla.
The business Chez What is seen Friday after Hurricane Helene moved through Valdosta, Ga.
Workers remove debris Friday in Cedar Key, Fla., in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Nate Martir, a law enforcement officer from the Florida Fish Wildlife and Conservation Commission, holds an American flag that was lying on the ground amid debris, while patrolling Friday in a high-water-capable swamp buggy in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Cedar Key, Fla.
Clarissa Lucky gives a tour of her home Friday that flooded from Hurricane Helene near DeSoto Park, Fla., in Tampa.
A damaged 100-year-old home is seen Friday in Valdosta, Ga., after an oak tree landed on it during Hurricane Helene.Â
Jamir Lewis wades through floodwaters Friday with his daughters, Nylah and Aria, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Crystal River, Fla.
People and pets are rescued from flooded neighborhoods Friday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Crystal River, Fla.
An airboat transports residents rescued from floodwaters Friday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Crystal River, Fla.
A person walks past building foundations along the water Friday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Cedar Key, Fla.
Jennifer Lange, center, walks amid the destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
John Taylor puts up an American flag on his destroyed property in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Volunteers from wait for fellow volunteers before they open a food distribution operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Perry, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Chae Tillman fills fuel containers Saturday at a gas station in Adell, Ga., in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Dennis Johnson cleans out debris from his mother-in-law's heavily damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Dustin Bentley, center kisses his wife Jennifer Bentley, left, after retrieving family photos from their flood damaged home as his mother Janet Sams looks on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Newport, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
