WASHINGTON — Outraged critics of the Federal Emergency Management Agency aired allegations Friday that Hurricane Helene relief workers are sitting idle without orders — and that those who are working are “seizing” aid deliveries and slow-walking distribution of Starlink satellite internet equipment.
The allegations were outlined by Elon Musk, the CEO of Starlink operator SpaceX, and by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), citing on-the-ground whistleblowers as the death toll topped 215 across six states, making the storm the deadliest in America since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
“Just received this note from a SpaceX engineer helping on the ground in North Carolina. @FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble, but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!” Musk wrote on X.
The note read: “Hey Elon, update here on site of Asheville, NC. We have powered up two large operating bases for choppers to deliver goods into hands. We’ve deployed 300+ starlinks [sic] and outpour is it has saved many lives. The big issue is FEMA is actively blocking shipments and seizing goods and services locally and locking them away to state they are their own.
“It’s very real and scary how much they have taken control to stop people helping. We are blocked now on the shipments of new starlinks [sic] coming in until we get an escort from the fire dept. [sic] but that may not be enough.”
Musk also posted a text message he claimed to have received telling him that federal officials were “about to shut down the Air space [sic] to ‘regulate’ the private choppers we are riding in to deliver Starlink and supplies.
“[We] handed out starlinks [sic] with her yesterday but FEMA then showed up and started blocking up,” the unidentified sender wrote. “The largest concern for us here is the FAA throttling flights for our choppers where they are requiring To/from information and mission now to deliver a discrete code.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg responded to Musk and denied the claims.”No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call,” Buttigieg tweeted.
Musk responded to the transportation chief: “There are hundreds of reports of FEMA/FAA blocking flights. This literally just happened. I will follow you. Please DM me the number to call.”
Sixteen minutes later the billionaire added: “Still waiting … the helicopter is trying to land to deliver critical supplies. What’s the number to call?”
Waiting for FEMA
Gaetz, meanwhile, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that “my office has been in contact with whistleblowers in numerous emergency-management functions at the federal, state, and local levels, and they all point to the same critical mismanagement issues.”
“FEMA has wasted taxpayer funds, misappropriated funds, and left other federal, state, and local responders without deployment orders on the ground,” Gaetz wrote.
“As reported and further confirmed by my office, hundreds, if not thousands of service members were deployed by the Department of Defense to North Carolina and have sat idle, waiting for FEMA. We have confirmed FEMA employees deployed, on the clock, awaiting orders in hotels.”
The Florida congressman further alleged that “FEMA pre-disaster aid was withheld, exacerbating the emergency. It is also public that NGOs have purchased airline tickets for migrants through the use of FEMA funds.”
“The aftermath of Hurricane Helene is a major disaster, and your waste and unpreparedness are leaving Americans in distress — unable to access food, water, or medicine — and expecting help, with none coming,” he added.
Gaetz demanded records, including on “what portion of funds in the Disaster Relief Fund have been spent on non-disaster-relief programs, such as providing services to illegal aliens or providing routine training to FEMA employees authorized out of general appropriations.”
FEMA spokeswoman Jaclyn Rothenberg denied some of the allegations in a Friday afternoon statement.
“The claims about FEMA confiscating or taking commodities, supplies or resources in North Carolina, Tennessee, or any state impacted by Helene are false,” Rothenberg said.
“FEMA is continuing to work with our federal family and state and local partners in the impacted areas to effectively bring in life-saving resources to the people and communities who need it most. As of Oct. 3. FEMA has deployed more than 11.5 million Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), over 12.6 million liters of water, more than 400,000 tarps and 150 generators to areas impacted by Helene.”
“Connectivity is crucial to disaster response,” the rep went on.
“FEMA has successfully deployed Starlink in multiple disasters to support disaster operations including disasters in Guam, Hawaii and Alaska. FEMA has helped provide Starlink terminals to the state of North Carolina, including to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation and critical lifeline locations as determined by the state. These units are supporting state and local municipalities, Urban Search and Rescue and disaster coordination. Starlink units have been sent to multiple states in support of Hurricane Helene response efforts.”
Whistleblower allegations are not always wholly accurate and sometimes are the result of partial information being conveyed.
Musk and Gaetz both support former President Donald Trump’s candidacy in the Nov. 5 election.
Trump, who shared Musk’s post on his Truth Social platform, has faulted the response to the crisis by President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their subordinates.
The allegations follow an outcry from Republicans over Mayorkas saying Wednesday that “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the [hurricane] season and what is imminent” — despite the agency allocating $640.9 million this year in FEMA-administered funds to aid state and local governments coping with the influx of asylum seekers who have been mass-paroled into the US under Mayorkas, many of them after illegally crossing the US-Mexico border.
The DHS chief rejected the criticism Thursday, with a spokesman saying those funds had been earmarked by Congress for the migrant crisis.
It’s unclear whether any of those funds could have been administratively redirected to hurricane relief, and it’s unclear from Gaetz’s letter whether the whistleblowers have actually alleged that the Disaster Relief Fund was used for migrants.
