An inspection company that works as a contractor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency told its workers in western North Carolina to stop inspecting over the weekend and go back to rooms.
On Sunday night, the Washington Post was the first to report that FEMA workers in Rutherford County had been threatened. Independent sources who knew about the threats told us that the story was true.
People in the western North Carolina disaster zone hit by Hurricane Helene have been spreading false information and rumors about the federal government’s rebuilding efforts in the area. This news comes after these incidents.
Messages sent to workers at a contracting agency that does checks for FEMA that WBTV looked at seem to show a damage area in western North Carolina.
On Saturday, Vanguard Inspection Services sent out an alert that said, “Desert-wide, stop inspections right away and go back to your hotels.” „FEMA heard that the Title 10 (an active military unit stationed in North Carolina) came across some trucks with militia units inside. The militia units said they were looking for FEMA employees.
Vanguard could not be reached right away for comment.
Late Sunday night, the company sent out a second message telling workers to stay off the job on Monday until further notice.
When asked about threats against FEMA workers and contractors in western North Carolina early Sunday morning, the Ashe County Sheriff’s Office said there had been no reports in Ashe County.
“We wanted to talk about the problems that are being talked about FEMA in Ashe County right now,” Sheriff B. Phil Howell wrote. “In response, they have been here to help people who need it.” Threats have been made against people in the mountain area recently. It hasn’t happened in Ashe County or the areas nearby. Because they want to be safe, they have stopped their work while they look into the threats.
Also on Sunday, a FEMA spokesperson said that they were making some “operational adjustments” because of safety concerns in western North Carolina, but they did not confirm any threats.
A spokesperson for FEMA wrote, “FEMA continues to help communities that were affected by Helene and help survivors apply for help.”
“FEMA has made some changes to how it works to protect the safety of our hardworking staff and the disaster survivors we are helping.” As planned, disaster recovery centers will stay open, survivors can continue to sign up for help, and we will continue to assist the people of North Carolina in their recovery.