As the nearly 65,000 residents of hard-hit Rutherford County, North Carolina , struggle to clear endless mud and debris left behind by Hurricane Helene , help has hit a roadblock.
Federal Emergency Management Agency crews in North Carolina were forced to relocate due to a reported armed threat against workers, first reported by The Washington Post. Out of an abundance of caution, FEMA said its disaster assistance teams will be stationed at fixed locations instead of going door-to-door, which has been the agency’s common practice in the past.
FEMA said search and rescue efforts are still underway and disaster recovery centers remain open.
The move comes after an email sent by the U.S. Forest Service to federal responders in Rutherford County, alerted them of an apparent standdown after National Guard troops reportedly encountered armed militia saying they were “hunting FEMA.”
Helene made landfall on Sept. 26 as a powerful Category 4 storm near Perry, Florida. It tore through six states, leaving more than 225 people dead, most in North Carolina.