Americans with military and law enforcement backgrounds have stepped up to help hurricane survivors in North Carolina without federal aid.
“FEMA is short on money. They just announced it. … We have the money to put it everywhere on the planet – this administration has it – but the federal government is running out of money. There is no funding within FEMA, the emergency management agency, to help people' here in the United States,'' CopsDirect founder and CEO Aaron Negerbon told FOX News Digital. .
The comments came as relief efforts continue in North Carolina, which suffered widespread damage from Hurricane Helen.
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Volunteers load supplies onto a helicopter for delivery to victims of Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct to the police)
But these efforts have also become a political issue as the election approaches, with critics widely criticizing the federal government's response to natural disasters.
“We're giving $750 to people whose homes were washed away,” former President Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend. “Yet we are sending tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They are giving them $750. They have been destroyed. These people were destroyed.”
The criticism comes after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “doesn't have the funds to get through” hurricane season and replenishes the agency's disaster relief fund. It came after lawmakers took emergency measures to help the DRF (National Public Radio report) invest $20 billion.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that those criticizing the administration's response were spreading “disinformation.”
“There's a lot of misinformation and disinformation being spread by the former president about the information that's available, especially to Helen's survivors,” Harris said. “This is extremely irresponsible. This is about him, not you. And the reality is that FEMA has so many resources available to people who desperately need it.”
Negerbon said he and other organizations chose to “step in and help Americans in their time of need.”
A warehouse for supplies delivered to victims of Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct to the police)
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“Our phones are ringing and our emails are ringing all day long due to requests from government agencies that need our support,” he said. “Our phones are ringing because one jurisdiction, one county, one community is listening to what Police Direct is doing and all of a sudden they're telling their neighboring counties.”
One of the ways Cops Direct and others have helped is by airlifting much-needed emergency supplies to residents who were unable to access them after the storm washed away many roads and traditional routes to their homes. is.
Ross Johnson, owner of TacMed, a company that makes emergency medical supplies for battlefields and law enforcement, told Fox News Digital that he uses his skills as a pilot and his vast network of other pilots to help victims of disasters. He said he helped deliver emergency medical supplies. using a helicopter.
“There was no way to get anywhere, so I said, 'Okay, let's see what we can do,'” said Johnson, a former Army Green Beret who served three tours in Afghanistan.
Johnson said FEMA is not working in the areas he has helped, but noted that FEMA is likely helping elsewhere.
Bottled water is being delivered to victims of Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct to the police)
“I'm not saying they're not doing anything. I'm sure they have a role to play, and we know they're a large organization that takes time to respond.” It takes time to run that machine,” he said. .
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Instead, Johnson said he has focused his efforts on the areas where his skills as a pilot are most useful.
“We're in the mountains,” Johnson said. “Places you can go to by helicopter”
Pallets of supplies delivered to victims of Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct to the police)
Johnson also said that people working on efforts to help the people of North Carolina volunteer their time, effort, and resources in hopes of making a difference for people whose lives have been upended by natural disasters. He said that it is being provided.
“It's just people who really want to do good things. You know, we're locals. We know this area very well. They're our neighbors. , we have a way to help them, and that's what we're trying to do.'' “We're not Uber Eats. … We're not making money on this. At least for now, we're just a few people with access to some assets that are the right tools for the job. ”
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
