Threats against FEMA workers hamper some hurricane aid; authorities arrest armed man

As the Federal Emergency Management Agency temporarily halted hurricane aid operations in North Carolina because of security concerns over the weekend, authorities arrested an armed man accused of threatening federal emergency response workers.

The disruptions to aid service come as FEMA works to combat swirling conspiracies and misinformation about its resources and responses to recent deadly hurricanes, including Helene , which devastated the mountain communities of western North Carolina and much of the Southeast.

On Saturday, the U.S. Forest Service received an email from FEMA, which said a National Guard unit working for the agency “came across some militia members who said they were out hunting FEMA,” according to Jason Nedlo, a spokesperson for the Forest Service’s Southern Area Blue Incident Management Team. The email was first reported by The Washington Post .

“FEMA has advised all federal responders (in) Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately," an official with the U.S. Forest Service wrote to other federal agencies, according to The Post. "The message stated that National Guard troops 'had come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying there were out hunting FEMA.'”

The same day, authorities in Rutherford County, one of the areas hardest-hit by Helene, arrested a man who had made a “vague threat” that he was going to “go mess up some FEMA personnel," said Rutherford County Sheriff's Office Capt. Jamie Keever.

William Jacob Parsons – who authorities say was was armed with an AR style rifle and two handguns – was charged with going armed to the terror of the public, an arrest warrant says. Parsons, 44, was booked into the Rutherford County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond, which he later paid and was released. His first appearance is scheduled for Wednesday at the Rutherford County Courthouse.

Keever said there's no indication there was a “truckload of militiamen” in Rutherford County, despite initial reports stating otherwise.

"After further investigation, it was determined Parsons acted alone and there were no truck loads of militia going to Lake Lure," the sheriff's office said in a news release.

Threats trigger pause in aid as FEMA makes 'operational adjustments'

The threats caused FEMA employees to temporarily stop accepting in-person applications for federal assistance in some of North Carolina's mountain communities, according to a statement posted Sunday on social media by the Ashe County Emergency Management Department , which said FEMA employees would not be staffed in the towns of Lansing or Riverview.

"It is our understanding that all FEMA reps in NC were stood down due to threats occurring in some counties (not Ashe)," the post said. Later Sunday, the county's emergency management department said FEMA would begin accepting in-person applications for assistance on Monday.

In a statement, Ashe County Sheriff B. Phil Howell also said FEMA had "paused their process" because of "threats made against them." He urged residents to "stay calm and steady," adding, "help folks and please don't stir the pot."

A senior FEMA official in Washington confirmed that workers have been pulled back from going door to door, as is their usual method of helping in disaster areas, and are instead working out of Disaster Recovery Centers “as we work through this challenge.”

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said FEMA staff were “not evacuated entirely,” but instead are working out of the centers, “which are fixed locations that have security at them.”

The official said FEMA is trying to combat a lot of rumor and disinformation “that is swirling” in disaster relief and recovery areas, “which can be challenging because a lot of it is, ‘I heard this, I heard that,’“ the official told USA TODAY.

The official said FEMA will continue to assess its security posture, working with local law enforcement.

In an emailed statement to USA TODAY, a FEMA said, "For the safety of our dedicated staff and the disaster survivors we are helping, FEMA has made some operational adjustments."

Misinformation and conspiracy theories about the agency and its resources have circulated online since Helene devastated the mountainous region. In public statements and news releases, FEMA has addressed the falsehoods, debunking claims the federal government is seizing land of storm survivors, only giving $750 to those who lost their homes and has restricted access to airspace amid search and rescue operations.

The falsehoods have caused harm to both volunteers on the ground and impacted families, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a news conference earlier this month.

"It’s creating fear in some of the individuals, and so I worry that they won't apply for assistance, which means I can't get them the necessary items they need to support them,” Criswell said.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Threats against FEMA workers hamper some hurricane aid; authorities arrest armed man