(CNN) – As the recovery from Hurricane Helen continues, preparations for Hurricane Milton will test the nation's storm preparedness and spark a political fight over misinformation.
Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hit back at former Republican President Donald Trump's “disinformation and misinformation.” “It's extraordinarily reckless,” he said, adding a message to people who need government help so they can get it.
It's been less than two weeks since Helen swept across the US Southeast, wreaking havoc on parts of Appalachia unaccustomed to storm surges and killing more than 200 people.
Milton, who reached Division 5 at a staggering speed, crashes down the coast of Florida. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell predicted on CNN Monday that Milton would be a “historic” storm.
Gulf Coast officials are warning people to evacuate before the storm hits this weekend.
In election years like this one, there are often storms in the background of American political discourse, often with lawmakers putting aside their political differences to speed the flow of federal money to disaster areas.
This year, however, former President Donald Trump has unleashed disinformation to seek political gain in disasters.
CNN's Daniel Dale analyzed several of Trump's false claims about the Helen fallout.
Trump's false claims include:
- Falsely claiming that US$1 billion was “stolen” from FEMA for immigrants and that they had “disappeared”.
- It falsely claims that the federal government only provides $750 to people who have lost their homes.
- Falsely claiming “no helicopters or rescues” in North Carolina.
Read on Full report By Dale, the facts behind these Trump claims and more.
In an attempt to remedy the situation and make it clear that the US$750 payments were only a first step and a form of assistance, FEMA launched Special website Fight those rumours.
Griswell told ABC News' This Week on Sunday that the notion that FEMA money is going to immigrants or that red states are being ignored is “plainly absurd and simply false.”
He noted that FEMA is working with local and state officials and that the rhetoric is undermining the morale of emergency services. “It's a real shame that we're putting politics before helping people, and that's what we're here for.”
But some of Trump's supporters refuse to admit that Trump's claim is false.
On Sunday, a contentious exchange occurred between CNN's Dana Bash and Laura Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and daughter-in-law of the former president. It is completely false that the houses were destroyed. Laura Trump disagreed that the former president's claim was false.
R-North Carolina, Sen. Bash echoed the views of Thom Tillis, who said the government was doing the best it could at the moment.
“Anybody at any level of government who thinks that anybody here could have been prepared for precisely what we're dealing with here, you clearly don't know,” Tillis said. “But, now, I'm here to say we're doing a good job.”
Tillis was also asked on Sunday about former President Donald Trump's false claims and her response was more cautious.
“We can talk about the failure of this administration's border policies and the billions of dollars they cost,” he said Sunday on CBS News' “Face the Nation.” “But right now, it still hasn't affected the flow of resources in western North Carolina.”
Hurricanes have a strong history during election years. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie angered some Republicans shortly before the 2012 election when he appeared with then-President Barack Obama after Superstorm Sandy.
After Obama won the election, there was a fierce debate about how much money to allocate for Sandy. Some Republicans have pushed for cuts in other areas of the budget as well.
When Trump was president, he actually diverted FEMA funding for immigration-related programs, which is what he falsely accuses Biden of doing now, although Trump's move did not affect funding for Puerto Rico, which was struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. CNN Fact Check at the time.
Politico's E&E news was also published this week A statement A former Trump adviser said Trump should be trusted to support California in 2018 with wildfire disaster relief, pointing to the presence of Republican voters in Orange County.
Tillis said there's no doubt FEMA will need more funding this year and hopes lawmakers will come back soon so FEMA “doesn't have a second.”
“This week,” Griswell said FEMA has the resources it needs. But last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorgas said funding was running low and that FEMA would not have enough disaster recovery funds to “get through the season.”
Hurricane season usually lasts until November.
When lawmakers passed a short-term funding bill that would fund the government beyond Election Day, they decided not to add $10 billion to FEMA's disaster relief funds, which have been depleted this year after several natural disasters.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, appearing on “This Week,” offered a different view of FEMA's response than Tillis and opposed the idea that lawmakers should return before Memorial Day.
Responding to Helen, Johnson criticized FEMA's performance: “At the federal level, it's a colossal failure,” he said. But he sees no need to return to Washington to approve more aid.
“We will meet again after the election. That's 30 days from now,” Johnson said Sunday, adding that it will take time to determine how much additional help is needed.
Former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said on CNN on Monday that he believes FEMA has enough money for an initial response, but they will need more soon. He said he was not worried about Congress interfering.
“I've experienced this in previous disasters,” Fugate said. “All I can tell you is that Congress has yet to run out of money on FEMA's response.”
