Latest Federal Emergency Management Agency News
FEMA administrator continues pushback against false claims as Helene death toll hits 230
LAKE LURE, N.C. (AP) — The head of the U.S. disaster response agency continued to forcefully push back Monday against false claims and conspiracy theories about her agency’s response to Hurricane Helene as the death toll from the storm continued to climb. Federal Emergency...
US disaster relief chief blasts false claims about Helene response as a 'truly dangerous narrative'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government’s top disaster relief official said Sunday that false claims and conspiracy theories about the federal response to Hurricane Helene — spread most prominently by Donald Trump — are “demoralizing” aid workers and creating fear in people who need...
Voters in North Carolina and Georgia have bigger problems than politics. Helene changed everything
VILAS, N.C. (AP) — Brad Farrington pulls over to grab a case of water bottles being passed out in Vilas, a small rural community tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He’s on his way to help a friend who lost much of what he owned when Hurricane Helene blew through last weekend. ...
Harris pledges ongoing federal support as she visits North Carolina to survey Helene's aftermath
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris pledged ongoing federal support and praised the “heroes among us” as she visited North Carolina on Saturday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, her second trip in four days to the disaster zone. The vice...
FEMA has faced criticism and praise during Helene. Here's what it does — and doesn't do
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency is tasked with helping states and communities hit by disasters like Hurricane Helene. With Helene hitting during the homestretch of an election year, the agency has been criticized by some residents and politicians, like...
Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn't have enough funding to last through hurricane season
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday. The agency is being stretched as it works with...
Trump slams US response to Helene. His own disaster-response record is marked by politics
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration’s response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, even as his supporters have called for cuts to federal agencies that warn of weather disasters and deliver relief to hard-hit communities. ...
Tropical Weather Latest: Helene makes landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in northwestern Florida
Fast-moving Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida's northwestern coast as a Category 4 storm Thursday evening, threatening a “catastrophic” storm surge as well as damaging winds, rains and flash floods hundreds of miles inland across much of the southeastern U.S.,...
Hawaii lawmakers say Congress should replenish disaster relief fund to help Maui
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's congressional representatives on Wednesday said the nation’s disaster relief fund needs to be replenished so the U.S. government can continue to help survivors of Maui’s deadly wildfires and other disasters around the country. Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed...
FEMA opens disaster recovery centers in Vermont after last month's floods
BERLIN, Vt. (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened disaster recovery centers in Vermont communities hit hard by violent flooding in mid-July while Gov. Phil Scott said he sought another federal disaster declaration on Wednesday for the second bout of severe flooding that...
