Social media reports that FEMA, the Red Cross, and other agencies are withholding or confiscating supplies from victims of Hurricane Helene are being heavily shared, despite being untrue.
The death toll for the storm, which has affected five southern states, is nearing 200, and could rise as searches continue. USA Today is reporting that almost a million homes and businesses are still without power in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas.
Hurricane Milton: Debris still piled up from HeleneHurricane Milton: Debris still piled up from Helene
Many residents in western North Carolina remain without running water. About 62% of those who lost power because of the storm have had electricity restored.
But social media posts claim aid is not reaching victims or is being prevented from being distributed.
According to the Associated Press, former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence Monday that the Biden administration and North Carolina’s Democratic governor were “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”
But as NPR noted, the Republican governors of South Carolina and Georgia have praised the federal government’s support.
A FEMA spokesperson addressed the rumors directly:
A FEMA spokesperson said the agency isn’t confiscating or taking supplies.
“FEMA is continuing to work with our federal family and state and local partners in the impacted areas to effectively bring in life-saving resources to the people and communities who need it most. As of Oct. 3. FEMA has deployed more than 9.3 million Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), over 11.2 million liters of water… and 150 generators to areas impacted by Helene,” the spokesperson said.
David Rauch, a communications manager for the American Red Cross, said the organization is “not confiscating nor taking away donated items.”
“It’s very important for us to clarify this misinformation,” he said. “Our primary focus during a disaster is to provide safe shelter and support to people affected. Like most disaster agencies, we don’t encourage or accept in-kind donations of physical items because they divert resources away from our mission. It takes time and money to store, sort, clean and distribute donated items. Our partners, who are better equipped with these resources, are taking the lead in setting up and distributing donated goods, and this may require relocating items to a better-suited place. If you or someone you know would like more information on where to locate these items in affected communities, please call 211.”
The experience of one Alabama pilot who flew in supplies this week tells the story.
Andrew Richardson is a commercial pilot based in Gadsden. He, along with a group of four pilots based in the Gadsden area, used a DC-3 to fly in supplies to locations in the Carolinas.
They set a goal of filling up a plane load of supplies to fly into the disaster area, as well as trucking in supplies. Trey Perman, Jonathan Day, Tim Meeks, Hannah Meeks and Southside Baptist Church assisted in the effort.
Together, they have transported about 14,000 pounds by air, and 20,000 by truck. They anticipate sending out another 30,000 pounds of water, food, and other supplies this week.
“We’re about to send out the third trailer load, and we’ve sent two plane loads and possibly another in the morning,” Richardson said. The pilots hope to continue the flights, which cost about $2,200 and $2,600 in fuel.
“We’ve had some very generous, selfless acts of donation,” he said. “We continue to receive monetary donations for fuel and supplies. We are grateful for all of it.”
The supplies were flown into Asheville, N.C., Banner Elk, N.C., and a third flight will go to Aiken, S.C. In Asheville, for example, the supplies were taken to the fixed base of operations for relief and unloaded at the airport. A second load went to Avery County EMA in North Carolina.
“Where we’ve felt the need is there and will be distributed responsibly, we’re going,” Richardson said. He called rumors of confiscation a “lie,” saying he had seen no evidence of it.
“Where we were there, we were talking to some other pilots flying out, and they said they didn’t know where this rumor got started or why it got started, but that everything that was being brought in was going out in some form or fashion,” he said.
Rumors of FEMA confiscating donations also circulated last year during the Lahaina wildfire disaster that claimed the lives of 102 people.
The agency explained at the time that FEMA coordinates with nonprofit and voluntary organizations, including the Red Cross, to identify ways in which donations can be distributed effectively.
“During major disasters, it is very common that a large influx of donated items can actually hinder disaster response efforts,” a statement from the agency reads. “For that reason, we encourage people to consider donating cash to trusted organizations that are responding.”
