‘Horrified’: FEMA investigating order not to help Trump supporters with hurricane relief

'Yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,' Ron DeSantis says

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, November 09, 2024

David Hester inspects damages of his house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on Sept. 28, 2024. At least 44 people died across five U.S. states battered by powerful storm Helene, authorities said on Sept. 27, after torrential flooding prompted emergency responders to launch massive rescue operations. | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is investigating allegations that workers were instructed to avoid homes displaying signs supporting Donald Trump during hurricane relief efforts in Florida. The guidance, reportedly issued by a FEMA supervisor, left Trump-supporting residents without aid, prompting criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

An internal FEMA message instructed relief workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” during surveys after Hurricane Milton in Highlands County, Florida, according to The Daily Wire. Highlands County, a conservative area, was severely impacted by the hurricane.

FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington conveyed this instruction verbally and via a group chat, the Wire said, citing government employees. Washington led a Department of Homeland Security surge capacity force assisting FEMA.

At least 20 homes displaying Trump signs were bypassed during relief assessments. Messages in the government system included notations like “Trump sign no entry per leadership.”

“I volunteered to help disaster victims, not discriminate against them,” an employee was quoted as saying. “It didn’t matter if people were black, white, Hispanic, for Trump, for Harris. Everyone deserves the same amount of help.”

First responders in the water outside an apartment complex that was flooded from and overflowing creek due to Hurricane Milton on Oct. 10, 2024, in Clearwater, Florida. At least 16 people were confirmed killed as a result of two tornadoes triggered by Hurricane Milton on the east coast of the US state of Florida, local authorities said Thursday. | BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images

Washington’s guidance to bypass Trump-supporting households was first issued verbally on Oct. 22 and reiterated in a group chat on Oct. 27. By Oct. 30, Washington began walking back the instructions following a meeting with FEMA administrators.

Photos of the group chat showed that the guidance was deleted soon after, the Wire noted.

Chad Hershey, a FEMA supervisor, was quoted as saying, “We are aware of it and we are taking proper action.”

A FEMA spokesperson later described the agency as “deeply disturbed” and “horrified” by the incident, noting that Washington “had no authority” to issue such guidance.

Despite the reversal, some homes with Trump signs were still overlooked, leading to further concerns about FEMA’s impartiality, according to the Wire.

FEMA’s response also faced scrutiny after Hurricane Helene, with similar complaints of delayed response in Trump-supporting areas like Carter County, Tennessee.

FEMA stated that it is committed to providing equal support to all survivors.

To date, FEMA has provided assistance to over 365,000 households impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida, disbursing more than $898 million in aid.

Washington, the supervisor, has since been moved to another county in Florida and is currently not active within the agency, pending an investigation.

DeSantis criticized the incident.

“The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,” DeSantis wrote on X. “At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump. New leadership is on the way in DC, and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”