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As Hurricane Helen recovery continues, preparations for Hurricane Milton are testing the nation’s storm preparedness and sparking political battles over misinformation.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, hit back at Republican former President Donald Trump’s “misinformation” while fielding questions from reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. “This is extremely irresponsible,” she said, adding her message was that people who need relief from the government should get it.
It comes less than two weeks after the rapidly developing Helen moved into the southeastern United States, wreaking havoc on parts of Appalachia unaccustomed to storm surge, killing more than 200 people.
Milton, which reached Category 5 strength at shocking speeds, is on a collision course with the Florida coastline. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell predicted on CNN on Monday that Milton would be a “historic” storm.
Gulf Coast officials are warning residents to evacuate before the storm hits later this week.
RELATED: Get the latest CNN updates on both storms
In election years like this one, storms often feature in the background of America’s political conversation, with lawmakers putting aside their political differences to quickly provide federal funds to disaster sites. It also frequently occurs when trying to
But this year, former President Donald Trump unleashed a flurry of misinformation to seek political advantage from disaster.
CNN’s Daniel Dale examined several of Trump’s false claims about the aftermath of Helen.
Trump’s false claims include:
►Falsely claiming $1 billion was “stolen” from FEMA and “missing” for immigrants
►False claim that the federal government is only giving $750 to people who lost their homes
►False claim that North Carolina has “no helicopters or rescues”
Read Dale’s full report, including the facts behind these Trump claims.
“Frankly, it’s ridiculous and completely false…”
To set the record straight and make it clear that the $750 payment is just a first step and a form of assistance, FEMA has launched a special website to counter such rumors.
Criswell said on ABC News’ This Sunday show that the idea that FEMA money is being used for immigration and Republican states are being ignored is “frankly ridiculous and just plain wrong.”
He noted that FEMA is working with local and state officials and that this rhetoric is demoralizing first responders. “It’s really unfortunate that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people, and that’s what we need to do here.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas also lamented the current state of misinformation surrounding relief efforts, telling MSNBC, “We’ve never seen anything like this before.” He warned that it would cause damage to those who received it.
“That creates a distrust in their government, which prevents them from seeking the help they really need,” he says. “We are putting money in their pockets to help them address their immediate needs. They are seeking relief because they are receiving disinformation, intentionally false information. That’s not true.”
However, some of Mr. Trump’s supporters refuse to admit that his claims are false.
On Sunday, there was a controversial exchange between CNN’s Dana Bash and Lara Trump, the RNC co-chair and the former president’s daughter-in-law, in which Bash said FEMA would give $750 to people whose homes were destroyed. He pointed out that the claim that it only provides services is false. Completely false. Lara Trump would disagree that the former president’s claims are false.
‘Let me just stop’: Bash presses Lara Trump over Donald Trump’s false claims about dealing with Helen
Bash echoed comments from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, who said the government is doing its best right now.
“Anyone here at any level of government who thinks they could have been prepared for exactly what we’re facing here is clearly ignorant,” Tillis said. he said. “But I’m here now to say we’re doing a good job.”
Tillis was also asked about former President Donald Trump’s false claims on Sunday, and he responded in very measured terms.
“We’ll be able to talk about the failures of this administration’s border policy and the billions of dollars that are being spent on it,” he said Sunday on CBS News’ Face the Nation. “But at this time, the flow of resources to Western North Carolina has not yet been impacted.”
Hurricanes have a history of hitting during election years. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie infuriated some Republicans by appearing with then-President Barack Obama after Superstorm Sandy just before the 2012 election.
After the election, which Obama won, there was a bitter debate about how much money should go to Sandy relief. At the time, some Republican lawmakers advocated cuts to other parts of the budget.
When Trump was president, he actually diverted funds from FEMA to immigration-related programs, exactly what he now falsely accuses Biden of doing, but his actions were in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. It did not affect funding to Puerto Rico, which was dealing with the issue, according to CNN Fact Check at the time.
Politico’s E&E News also cited a former Trump aide this week as saying that Trump supported California with 2018 wildfire disaster relief after showing Republican voters in Orange County. It published a report quoting him as saying that he needed to be persuaded to do so.
Tillis said there is no doubt that FEMA will need more funding this year and that he thinks lawmakers should come back early to “avoid a moment” of FEMA running out of money.
On this week’s show, Criswell said FEMA currently has the resources it needs. But Mayorkas said last week that funding is dwindling and FEMA’s disaster recovery fund may not have enough money to “get us through the season.”
Hurricane season typically lasts until November.
When lawmakers passed a short-term funding bill to keep the government funded beyond Election Day, they decided not to add $10 billion to FEMA’s disaster relief fund, which has declined this year due to multiple natural disasters. was.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who also appears on the show this week, had a different view of FEMA’s response than Tillis, and opposed the idea that lawmakers have to return by Election Day.
Johnson criticized FEMA’s record in responding to Herren, saying, “At the federal level, this was a huge failure.” But he sees no need to return to Washington to convey further aid.
“I will be returning to Parliament immediately after the election, which is 30 days from now,” Johnson said on Sunday, adding that it would take time to know how much additional support is needed.
Appearing on CNN on Monday, former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate also said that while FEMA has enough funding for initial response, he believes it will soon need more money. He said he’s not worried about Congress ultimately getting involved.
“I’ve experienced situations like this in previous disasters,” Fugate said. “One thing is clear: Congress still hasn’t addressed the FEMA funding shortfall.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Donald Judd contributed to this report.
