FEMA, mainstream media dust off 'misinformation' chestnut to shield agency from hurricane criticism

The Federal Emergency Management Agency assures Americans that it "provides assistance to survivors regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status." 

It's a "rumor" that "FEMA distributes aid based on demographic characteristics," the agency wrote Oct. 4 on its "Hurricane Rumor Response" page for Helene, giving no source or context for its claim.

"Do your part to stop the spread of rumors" by only sharing "official information from trusted sources" – linking its own Helene portal – and "[d]iscourage others from sharing information from unverified sources," FEMA said, without defining "unverified."

The besieged Department of Homeland Security component dusted off the federal COVID-19 playbook by castigating the public for sharing claims about its actions and inactions in the unusually severe hurricane season that come from outside federal channels and mainstream media, which have also resumed their self-appointed emergency role as arbiters of truth.

The Government Accountability Office, the auditing arm of Congress, seven months ago provided the factual basis for one of the biggest hurricane-season claims the feds and mainstream media deem misinformation: FEMA's "responsibilities at the southern border" played a leading role in the 35% "staffing gap" in its disaster workforce.

FEMA's Daily Operations Briefing on Wednesday said only 8% of its Incident Management personnel were left to deploy on the eve of Milton. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned last week that FEMA didn't have enough funding to last through hurricane season.

When White House spokeswoman Karine-Jean Pierre suggested it was a "conspiracy theory" to suggest FEMA was aiding illegal aliens, Republican lawmakers showed it had routed $640.9 million in grants to nonprofits aiding immigrants, many of whom have crossed illegally.

Democrats and Republicans share the blame, reaching a budget deal this year to increase funding for FEMA's legislatively authorized mission to care for millions who crossed the border illegally in the Biden-Harris administration, though few in the GOP acknowledge their role.

Pierre abruptly walked out of a press briefing after accusing Fox News reporter Peter Doocy of spreading misinformation by asking why Congress needs to return to approve funding for Helene victims when Vice President Kamala Harris committed to sending $157 million in "additional assistance" to Lebanon without legislative approval.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell blamed supposed misinformation spread by "a few leaders" for impeding FEMA's ability to help hard-hit North Carolina in a Monday appearance on MSNBC, warning that such claims would hurt its response to Milton in Florida.

It had "over 4,500 people on the ground that have been here since before the storm made landfall ... and all I hear on the ground is gratefulness and compassion and a level of unity," she said. Neither Criswell nor a Mediaite report on her interview identified the misinformation.

Bat Cave, North Carolina, residents told the New York Post, however, that FEMA refused to enter the tiny town because of a "Road Closed" sign that residents just drive around. After sick and elderly residents were airlifted out, the only sign of government was reportedly Louisiana state troopers "keeping an eye on everything" but not proactively helping residents.

The first post on FEMA's rumor page denied it's "confiscating donations for survivors" as claimed by social media users including new Donald Trump campaign surrogate Elon Musk, citing his "SpaceX engineer helping on the ground in North Carolina," who also said FEMA was blocking "shipments of new starlinks" to provide free cellphone and internet service.

Musk's Starlink went ahead despite losing a large federal grant on what The Wall Street Journal editorial board called political grounds, noting the Federal Communications Commission recently granted a three-year extension to Dish Network – whose chairman is a Biden-Harris campaign donor – despite it being further behind on its FCC commitments than Starlink.

On the news side, the Journal portrayed FEMA as a hero "fighting falsehoods" that dissuade victims from registering for FEMA assistance, spread by leaders including GOP nominee and former President Trump, "to save lives from Hurricane Milton." 

It referenced eyewitness claims alongside an outlandish claim that the government was “geoengineering” the weather and faulted Musk's X for not proactively throttling supposed misinformation instead of relying on its Community Notes feature to crowdsource fact-checks.

COVID pandemic response first mainstreamed the explicit prioritization of identity groups for government emergency help, with half of U.S. states devising plans to put whites behind black and Hispanic patients for the initial rollout of COVID vaccines in the name of "health equity."

FEMA gave the impression it had the same priorities in a March 2023 FEMA roundtable that included an official in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, on "helping LGBTQIA+ survivors before disasters."

Newsweek tried to discredit social media users sharing portions of the roundtable in the past week because the posts don't give its date and quotes are "taken out of context" and "misquoted," perhaps referring to users putting quotes on their own paraphrases.

Such survivors "already have their own things to deal with" so disasters hit them harder, which "isn't being talked about," FEMA emergency management specialist Tyler Atkins said. 

Federal disaster response is shifting toward equity and away from "utilitarian principles where everything is designed for the greatest good for the greatest amount of people," SAMHSA senior adviser Maggie Jarry said, asking whether existing aid policy is "biased" against "specific communities that are probably most in need" and in favor of "people with assets."

The word "equity" appears in the roundtable transcript 10 times, and the New York Post noted FEMA's own strategic plan says equity is "goal 1" ahead of "climate resilience" and "readiness."

One viral post on the roundtable was shared by Musk and by Texas GOP Rep. Michael McCloud, who noted he and GOP vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance are sponsoring legislation to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion from the federal government.

Anti-Trump conservative outlet The Dispatch purported to fact-check claims that FEMA's devotion to equity means it puts whites last, noting its statutory obligations to provide relief "in an equitable and impartial manner, without discrimination on the grounds of race." Its strategic plan just means FEMA "tailors its relief efforts to the specific needs of different communities."

Because SAMHSA is housed under the Department of Health and Human Services, Jarry is not a FEMA employee and neither speaks for it nor for her own agency, The Dispatch emphasized while noting Jarry and her agency declined to comment. The Post noted other panelists "nodded in enthusiastic agreement" when Jarry made her remarks.

FEMA did not respond to Just the News queries on whether it's implementing the roundtable panelists' view of equity in its emergency response this hurricane season.