This article will be made available in Spanish through El Tiempo Latino.
Quick Take
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided over $210 million in immediate aid for communities affected by Hurricane Helene, with DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson calling this the beginning of “a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery process.” Social media posts falsely asserting that storm victims will only receive “only $750,” misleadingly comparing this figure with foreign aid amounts.
Full Story Communities across the southeastern U.S. suffered devastating damages and losses after Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Perry, Florida on Sept 26.
Helene ranks second deadliest among hurricanes to strike the contiguous United States over the last 50 years; Hurricane Katrina claimed at least 1,833 victims.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency leads federal response efforts during disasters requiring presidential disaster declaration. Working closely with state, local, and tribal partners it aims to address property wreckage while also providing access to food, potable water, power sources, cell reception capabilities and transportation infrastructure – beginning preparation before any storm arrived onshore.
As of Oct. 8, FEMA had provided over $210 million in federal assistance, including more than 15.6 million meals, over 13.9 million liters of water, 157 generators and 505,000 tarps to affected communities in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina South Carolina Virginia Tennessee (the six states where President Joe Biden issued major disaster declarations), as well as almost 7,000 federal personnel – many being FEMA staff – deployed across these six states.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated the scale and scale of this disaster will require “a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery effort”. According to him, entire towns “have vanished”.
But social media posts have spread false claims that the federal government is doing little or nothing for storm survivors while spending billions of dollars in foreign aid programs.
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson created confusion on Instagram by writing, on Oct 3, 2019,: “Why can we send billions to Ukraine while Americans who’ve lost everything only receive $750 dollars?!.” This post currently has amassed more than 87,000 likes.
Former President Donald Trump repeated this falsehood at his Oct. 5 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“They’re offering $750 to people whose homes were washed away while sending billions in aid to foreign countries that most of us have never even heard of,” Trump noted, while at the same time providing millions in relief funds to North Carolina in its time of need (See related story “Trump’s False Claim of Stolen Disaster Relief Funds.”).
Another post falsely implied that FEMA hadn’t done anything to assist communities impacted by Helene. One Threads user claimed, stating a claim about FEMA not providing assistance following Helene, which led them to pose this question: Is This True: No FEMA Red Cross Government Agencies NONETHING FOR HELENE?? WHAT A COUNTRY”. Unfortunately this post can no longer be accessed online and this link no longer functions correctly.
Other posts shared on X and Instagram suggested FEMA lacks sufficient funds for future hurricanes, suggesting money that should have gone towards disaster relief was instead going abroad. These posts garnered nearly 3 Million views on X alone with 100,000 likes across both platforms reading: “Biden Harris Regime claims FEMA Lacks Enough Funds To Tackle Hurricane Season, Even Though They Just Give Billion + to Ukraine
Emergency Relief Funds Directed To Disaster Areas
Trump mentioned in social media posts and in public remarks the $750 payment available as immediate federal assistance, with FEMA having assured survivors it has sufficient funding for immediate response and recovery needs.
Contrary to online claims, FEMA is funded through an emergency relief fund dedicated solely for disaster response efforts.
FEMA established a Rumor Response Page after Hurricane Helene to combat post-Helene misinformation. On Oct 5, The White House also issued a memo regarding falsehoods surrounding government response efforts during and after her passage.
FEMA reports that its Disaster Relief Fund contains enough funding for Hurricane Helene efforts and emergency response and recovery initiatives,” according to their agency statement.
Biden expressed this sentiment in an Oct. 4 letter to Congress; however, he did address future funding needs of government operations which currently run until Dec. 20.
Biden noted that while FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund currently has sufficient resources to meet immediate needs, without additional funding it will face a shortfall at year’s end and would need to prioritize fulfilling urgent requirements over longer-term recovery initiatives.
“FEMA needs additional resources so it does not force an unnecessary trade-off with communities served and can assure them assistance will continue for both short and long terms,” according to Mr. Doleac.
FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, or DRF, is funded through both annual discretionary appropriations and emergency supplemental appropriation granted in response to certain disasters. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Congress provided approximately $381 billion over 20 years – nearly three quarters of this was provided via emergency supplemental appropriations grants.
FEMA reported that because this federal spending account is dedicated exclusively for disaster efforts, no money from it would ever be diverted away for other non-disaster related uses.
Since February 2022, Congress has provided military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine through other supplemental appropriations acts.
FEMA utilizes its Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) for both short and long-term response and recovery activities such as debris removal, food and medical aid distribution, Individual Assistance Program and future disaster mitigation projects. An initial payment of $750 may be issued while FEMA determines eligibility for its various offerings within Individual Assistance Program.
Serious Needs Assistance may offer up an upfront, flexible payment to cover essential items like food and water; baby formula; breastfeeding supplies; medication as well as emergency supplies.” According to their Rumor Response page this assistance could come very soon after applying.
Additional forms of assistance address medical costs, temporary housing needs and home repair expenses among other needs.
Individuals eligible to receive assistance can apply by calling FEMA’s helpline at 1-800-621-3363, visiting disasterassistance.gov, or downloading the FEMA app on their device.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to debunk misinformation shared online, such as false reports on our platforms such as Instagram. Here you can read some of our previous stories; Facebook does not control our editorial content.
Sources * 2024. Arabia, Christina and Eileen DeMaret of Congressional Research Service wrote “U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine”. 22 May. 2024.
Bogel-Burroughs, Nicholas, and Kate Selig. “Searchers Still Seek Loved Ones After Hurricane Helene”. New York Times 4 Oct 2024.
Bomprezzi, Peitro et al. “Ukraine Support Tracker.” Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Accessed on 8 October 2024.
Ebensberger, Richard. FEMA Prepares for Hurricane Helene Landfall by Establishing Incident Support Base at Maxwell AFB.” Maxwell Air Force Base. 25 September 2024.
Federal Emergency Management Administration. “FEMA Prepares for Dual Response in Wake of Hurricane Helene Reaching $210 Million; Milton Strengthens as It Heads for Florida Gulf Coast”. 8 October 2024.
FEMA Announces Launch of Web Page to Respond and Confirm Facts Regarding Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery.” Press release issued 4 Oct 2024.
Federal Emergency Management Administration. “How a Disaster Is Declared.” 22 Jul 2024.
“How FEMA Works.” 23 Jan 2024.
Federal Emergency Management Administration. “Hurricane Helene Rumor Response.” Accessed on 6 October 2024.
Federal Emergency Management Administration. “Individuals and Households Program.” Press release, 22 March 2024.
“When can I apply for Individual Assistance?” 16 May 2023.
Gore and D’Angelo. “President Trump’s False Claims of Stolen Disaster Relief Funds,” FactCheck.org 8 October 2024.
Sarnoff, Leah and Daniel Amarante of ABC News provided details about Hurricane Helen’s destruction: its path, storm surge and rescue efforts on October 5, 2024.
Shapiro, Emily et al. : Hurricane Helene Live Updates: Death Toll Surpasses 230 as Rescue Operations Continue.” ABC News (8 October 2024).
Sperl, Jon. “FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund: Budget History and Projections”. Congressional Budget Office. 22 November 2022.
Sutton, Joe et al. “Helene Death Toll Surpasses 227 across 6 States”. CNN. 5 October 2024.
Ukraine Oversight. Special Inspector General for Operation Atlantic Resolve. “Funding.” Accessed 8 October 2024.
Webster, Elizabeth. “FEMA Individual Assistance Programs: An Overview.” Congressional Research Service. 17 April 2024.
“Fight Hurricane Helene Falsehoods With Facts”, 5 October 2024 from White House.
White House. “Letter to Congress Regarding Disaster Needs”. 4 October 2024.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas Had Press Gaggle En Route Greenville SC on 2 Oct 2024
