You’ve all heard the false claims about the federal government’s response to the recent storm, right?
Former President Trump has repeatedly lied about these efforts. He made up a preposterous story about the feds ignoring parts of western North Carolina because of the Republican majority. He said the government had directed billions of dollars in disaster response to “housing illegal migrants, many of whom are not in our country.”
Ugh.
The ex-president’s increasingly vicious lies are harmless. They tie up resources, anger and harass elected officials, demoralize workers struggling to restore roads, electricity and water, and, of course, invite threats of violence.
“We are working with all our partners around the clock to get people help,” North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, wrote on social media. “Trump’s lies and conspiracy theories have undermined the morale of first responders and those who lost everything, helped scam artists and put governments and rescue workers in danger.”
Last weekend, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials heard that members of an “armed militia” were hunting emergency personnel in North Carolina’s Lake Lure area, which was devastated by the storm. FEMA brass directs workers to evacuate for safety.
Militia rumors may be overblown, but on Saturday, a sheriff’s deputy arrested a man armed with a handgun and a rifle on suspicion of threatening to harm FEMA workers.
On Tuesday, I spoke with my friends Anita Zubere and Lisa Bartoli, liberal Democrats who moved from Venice Beach to Asheville, NC, a few years ago. His house suffered damage from Helene, and there was no water or electricity. Cell service and internet were down, so they missed a lot of misinformation.
But when they asked a local store for a receipt for a new $800 generator so they could claim FEMA reimbursement, they said, the store employee regurgitated a bit of common misinformation: “Oh, no,” she told them. “You have to read the fine print. If you apply for FEMA, you have to pay it back within a year or they will write off your taxes. The store owner then called, telling them that “immigrants” took the money and went back to the border.
“We have to bite our tongues,” Anita said.
On Sunday, ABC News’ Martha Raddatz challenge Trump’s running mateoil Ohio Sen. JD Vance, about lies. After an uncharming start, Vance has been straining to appear affable and moderate.
“I’m not saying there’s anything bad going on here, Martha,” Vance said, “but I think there’s been an incompetent response to this particular crisis, especially in western North Carolina, which to be fair is much more difficult than that.” wanted by many people.”
The thing is, when you talk to people who actually lived through hurricanes, they give you feedback on federal and local responses.
On Monday, I spoke with Nell Madsen, the 88-year-old mother of my friend Amy Madsen, who lives in Lake Lure. The log house was on a hill in the forest, far from the lakeside house that had been blown down like a matchstick in a hurricane. She and her cat, Stella, made it through howling winds and torrential rain. When I reached her, Nell was at home watching reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show.”
“I was only out of power for 11 days,” he told me.
Almost every day since the storm, a couple who live nearby bring him fresh water to drink and flush the toilet.
“I feel like a pioneer woman,” said Nell, who is a conservative Republican. “When the power goes out, I have an oil lamp like an old western movie and a wood fireplace. The gas log works, so I can hold water to heat water for instant coffee or whatever.
He said he was baffled by the emergency response.
“Electric companies come from all over — from as far away as Maine, California and Washington state — and they’re amazing,” he said. “They sent their crew with chain saws to clear the trees out of the way, and then they came in line. Everything was choreographed. They worked well together, 24/7. It was amazing.”
He had heard rumors about FEMA failing hurricane victims and was intrigued when a neighbor told him that agency representatives would be setting up shop at the local grocery store. On Friday, he stopped by the local library, where he has volunteered for years, and ran into some FEMA workers.
“He asked if I had any damage and I wanted to talk to him?” said Nell. “I was a little hesitant because I didn’t know I needed help. I was doing OK, and someone lost everything. I thought, ‘I don’t deserve help.’ “
Did he miss something, he asked. Fill the freezer?
“I said, ‘Yes, actually, I did.’ I finished shopping the day before the storm came in. My fridge was so full I couldn’t put a kilo of pork in it.”
However, Nell feels guilty for asking for help. He said FEMA officials told him, “No, no, don’t feel guilty. You have a loss, and you have a problem.”
When he found out he would receive a $750 reimbursement, he collapsed.
“I didn’t lose that much,” he protested. “They said, ‘No problem. Once you qualify, you’re eligible for $750.’ “
When she told her neighbors that FEMA was there to help, they were hesitant, so she offered to show them the check when it arrived.
“I’ve heard rumors that there’s a problem with FEMA and they’re not here and there’s no help,” he said. But instead of having to fear the federal government, as Trump and company suggest, or even ask for help, Nell found that “they almost came to me.”
