ANALYSIS | Too much misinformation and little money as hurricanes hit in election year

() – As recovery from Hurricane Helene continues, preparations for Hurricane Milton are testing the country’s storm preparedness and sparking a political fight over misinformation.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, hit back at former Republican President Donald Trump’s “disinformation and misinformation” as she responded to reporters’ questions on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews. “It’s extraordinarily irresponsible,” he said, adding a message to people who need government help so they can get it.

Less than two weeks have passed since the rapidly developing Helene swept across the American Southeast, bringing destruction to parts of Appalachia unaccustomed to storm surge and killing more than 200 people.

Milton, which reached Category 5 intensity with shocking speed, is on a collision course with the Florida coast. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell predicted Monday on that Milton will be a “historic” storm.

Gulf Coast authorities are warning residents to evacuate before the storm hits later this week.

Storms are often in the background of American political conversation in election years like this one, often as lawmakers put aside their political differences to speed up the flow of federal money to disaster spots.

This year, however, former President Donald Trump has unleashed a stream of misinformation to find political advantage in disasters.

‘s Daniel Dale analyzed several false claims by Trump about the Helene fallout.

Trump’s false claims include:

Read the full report by Dale, containing the facts behind these Trump claims and much more.

In an attempt to correct the situation and make clear that the US$750 payments are only a first step and a type of aid, FEMA launched a special website to combat those rumors.

Criswell said Sunday on ABC News’ This Week that the idea that FEMA money was going to immigrants or that red states are being ignored is “frankly ridiculous and simply false.”

He noted that FEMA works with local and state officials and that the rhetoric demoralizes emergency services. “It is really a shame that we put politics before helping people, which is what we are here for.”

But some of Trump’s supporters refuse to acknowledge that Trump’s claim is false.

On Sunday, a contentious exchange occurred between ‘s Dana Bash and Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and also the former president’s daughter-in-law, when Bash pointed out that the claim that FEMA is only offering $750 to people whose homes have been destroyed is completely false. Lara Trump disagreed that the former president’s claim was false.

Bash echoed comments from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, who said the government is currently doing the best it can.

“For anyone who thinks that any level of government, anyone here, could have been prepared for precisely what we’re dealing with here, you clearly have no idea,” Tillis said. “But, right now, I’m here to say we’re doing a good job.”

Tillis was also asked Sunday about former President Donald Trump’s false claims and his response was very careful.

“We could talk about the failure of this administration’s border policies and the billions of dollars they are costing,” he said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “But right now, it’s still not impacting the flow of resources into western North Carolina.”

Hurricanes have a strong history in election years. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie angered some Republicans just before the 2012 election when he appeared alongside then-President Barack Obama after Superstorm Sandy.

After the election, which Obama won, there was a bitter debate over how much money should be allocated to aid for Sandy. Some Republicans then insisted that cuts be made in other parts of the budget.

When Trump was president, he actually diverted FEMA funds for immigration-related programs, the same thing he now falsely accuses Biden of doing, although Trump’s action did not affect funding for Puerto Rico, which was facing the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, according to a fact check at the time.

Politico’s E&E News also published this week a report which quoted a former Trump adviser as saying that Trump had to be convinced to support California with wildfire disaster relief in 2018 by showing him that there were Republican voters in Orange County.

Tillis said there is no doubt that FEMA will need more funding this year and believes lawmakers should come back sooner so that “there isn’t a second” for FEMA to exhaust funding.

On “This Week,” Criswell said FEMA currently has the resources it needs. But last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said funding is dwindling and FEMA may not have enough in its disaster recovery fund to “get through the season.”

Hurricane season usually 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 dwindled this year after multiple disasters. natural.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who also made an appearance on “This Week,” presented a different view of FEMA’s response than Tillis and opposed the idea that lawmakers should return before Memorial Day. the elections.
Johnson criticized FEMA’s performance in the response to Helene: “at the federal level, it has been a massive failure,” he said. But he sees no need to return to Washington to approve more aid.

“We will meet again immediately after the elections. That will be 30 days from now,” Johnson said Sunday, adding that it will take time to know how much additional help is needed.

Former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said Monday on that he also believes FEMA has enough money for the initial response, but they will soon need more. He said he’s not worried that Congress will end up intervening.

“I’ve experienced this in previous catastrophes,” Fugate said. “All I’m telling you is that Congress hasn’t let FEMA run out of money on the response yet.”