Category 4 Hurricane Milton is closing in on Florida this week. This comes just after Hurricane Helene wreaked devastation in North Carolina and other areas of the southeast.
Last week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas admitted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not have long-term funding to help the victims of Hurricane Helene. As Townhall reported, over a billion FEMA dollars were spent on illegal immigrants in recent years.
“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas said, according to the Associated Press. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”
This week, its sounds like Mayorkas has changed his tune.
“The New York Times is reporting that FEMA is running out of staff to respond to this hurricane that seems to be barreling towards Florida…Does FEMA have what it needs to respond to the storm?” former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki asked Mayorkas on MSNBC.
“Yes it does, quite clearly. Everybody should rest confident that FEMA has the resources. We already have 900 personnel deployed, prepositioned, in Florida. People who are responding to Hurricane Helene…We are there. We have search and rescue teams, the Army Corps of Engineers are there. We are ready. We have the personnel…We can respond to multiple events at a single time,” Mayorkas stated.
.@SecMayorkas to @jrpsaki: “You and I both remember a time when an extreme weather event actually brought people together. Now, unfortunately, tragically, quite frankly, it is politicized… the people who are victimized by the natural disaster are the ones who will suffer.” pic.twitter.com/z0RocPxva3
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) October 8, 2024
Last week, Townhall covered how several whistleblowers have come forward alleging that FEMA misappropriated funds in the wake of Hurricane Helene. This was outlined in a letter to Mayorkas from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
“FEMA has wasted taxpayer funds, misappropriated funds, and left other federal, state, and local responders without deployment orders on the ground,” the letter stated. “As reported and further confirmed by my office, hundreds, if not thousands, of service members were deployed by the Department of Defense to North Carolina and have say idle, waiting for FEMA.”
“We have confirmed FEMA employees deployed, on the clock, awaiting orders in hotels. FEMA pre-disaster aid was withheld, exacerbating the emergency. It is also public that NGOs have purchased airline tickets for migrants through the use of FEMA funds,” it added.
“The aftermath of Hurricane Helene is a major disaster, and your waste and unpreparedness are leaving Americans in distress – unable to access food, water, or medicine – and expecting help, with none coming,” it continued.
BREAKING: FEMA whistleblowers have come forward alleging that the agency misappropriated funds in the wake of Helene, withheld pre-disaster aid, and that first responders and service members have been waiting in hotels without deployment orders. pic.twitter.com/uf0XrspRTz
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 4, 2024