‘Bald-faced lies’: Massive row erupts over US government’s response to Hurricane Helene

Already reeling from a huge natural disaster, America has now also been plunged into a fresh political furore.

A political row has erupted in the United States over the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, which hit the country’s east coast more than a week ago.

At least 223 people are dead and hundreds more are unaccounted for in the wake of the hurricane, which made landfall on September 26. And more than half a million homes across America’s southeast are still without power.

Much of the focus is on the state North Carolina, which is among the hardest hit, having suffered widespread flooding. But the hurricane also caused widespread damage further south in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

An aerial view of homes damaged by Hurricane Helene. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP

Hundreds of people are dead. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

Former president Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s nominee for November’s election, has led the way in accusing the federal government of neglecting its duties.

His core claim, disputed by the government, is that the Biden administration has no funds available for disaster relief because that money has been spent on migrants.

“A lot of the money that was supposed to go to Georgia and to North Carolina is going, and has gone, it’s already gone, for people that came into the country illegally,” he told a crowd in Georgia today.

“They’re missing a billion dollars that they gave to migrants coming into our country,” Mr Trump added at a later event in North Carolina.

“Some of them are murderers. Some of them are drug dealers. Many of them.

“We’re missing a billion dollars, they gave them to the migrants that came in, and now we don’t have the money to do it.

“That’s why they’re giving you lousy treatment in North Carolina, in particular.”

Donald Trump in North Carolina today. Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images via AFP

Critics of the government have also accused the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) of confiscating people’s property, seeking donations from the public and preventing others, such as billionaire Elon Musk, from helping its relief efforts.

And Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed that his election opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, told victims of the natural disaster they could only access a maximum of $750 in aid from the federal government. That payment, designed to be distributed quickly, is in fact just one element of the financial help on offer.

‘Bald-faced lies’: White House responds

A memo from the Biden White House, distributed on Friday, US time, accused Mr Trump and other Republican politicians of spreading “bald-faced lies” about the hurricane response.

“It is paramount that every leader, whatever their political beliefs, stops spreading this poison,” said the memo’s author, White House spokesman Andrew Bates.

“No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrant housing and services.

“None. At. All.”

A FEMA worker in North Carolina. Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images via AFP

The memo pointed out that Mr Trump, when he was president, repeatedly shifted funds from FEMA to an immigration-related agency, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In total he diverted $US48 million away from the disaster relief agency.

FEMA has warned that misinformation is “having a negative impact on our ability to help people”. The agency has set up a “rumour response” page to push back on some claims.

Regarding the aforementioned $750 payment, FEMA stressed that it “was designed to reach people as quickly as possible so they can purchase essential items while we process their disaster application and determine what other assistance they’re eligible for”.

President Joe Biden, having returned to the White House after visiting some of the flood-affected areas today, said the government’s job was “to help as many people as we can”.

“When you do that, I hope we begin to break down this rabid partisanship that exists. I mean that sincerely. There’s no rationale for it. There’s no rationale for it,” he added.

Mr Biden speaking at the White House today. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

‘Stop this’: Republican leaders push back

Elected Republicans, including local officials in the disaster-hit states, are also among those pushing back on Mr Trump’s allegations.

“It’s been superb,” South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said of the federal response to the hurricane.

“(Biden) said that whatever we need, to let him know, and we’re doing that.

“We’re getting assistance, and we’re asking for everything we need.”

The Republican governors of Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia have also gone on the record with praise for FEMA’s response.

At a federal level the Republican Senator Thom Thillis, who represents North Carolina, said he was “actually impressed” by the attention paid to his state.

At the state level, Republican Senator Kevin Corbin asked his supporters to “help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over” social media.

“PLEASE stop this junk. It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job,” he wrote.

“The state is working non-stop. Workers are deployed all over the state. FEMA is here. This is going to take MONTHS if not years to overcome.

“Please don’t let these crazy stories consume you.”

And at the local level Glenn Jacobs, the Republican Mayor of Knox County (and a former WWE wrestler), took to social media to debunk the theory that FEMA had been taking away people’s supplies.

“Please quit spreading those rumours as they are counter-productive to response efforts,” Mr Jacobs told his followers.

“If everyone could maybe put aside the hate for a bit and pitch in to help, that’d be great.”