Some FEMA disaster assistance operations changed plans over the weekend after threats to FEMA staff safety.
“For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments,” a FEMA spokesman said in a statement to BPR. “Disaster Recovery Centers will continue to be open as scheduled, survivors continue to register for assistance, and we continue to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery.”
On Sunday morning, Ashe County Sheriff B. Phil Howell posted on Facebook about the challenges FEMA faced.
“Recently in the mountain region, there have been threats made against them,” he wrote. “This has not happened in Ashe County or the surrounding counties. Out of an abundance of caution, they have paused their process as they are assessing the threats.”
Howell asked residents to “help folks and please don’t stir the pot.”
FEMA has 1,250 staff on the ground in North Carolina communities.
An FEMA team in Barnardsville left a site earlier than scheduled on Saturday in the midst of helping people complete FEMA applications, according to volunteer Chloe Feinbaum.
“My neighbor was literally about to click the last button to finish her application,” she said. “The person who was helping her asked, ‘Can we please just wait 5 more minutes? I want to finish helping this woman.'”
A Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the office had not received any reports of threats to FEMA officials.
FEMA has approved more than $86 million in housing and other assistance to more than 66,000 households in North Carolina.
Find information on how to apply for FEMA benefits here.