Elon Musk has lashed out at the Federal Emergency Management Agency for preventing SpaceX from taking relief packages to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina.
The billionaire described FEMA’s actions as ‘unconscionable’ in a furious statement to his social media platform, X, on Friday.
Entire towns in western North Carolina were washed away last week when Hurricane Helene tore through the region.
At least 222 people are dead and hundreds more missing across the United States following the category 4 storm. So far, 106 of the casualties have been recorded in North Carolina.
‘SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now,’ Musk said.
Elon Musk has lashed out at FEMA for preventing SpaceX from taking relief packages to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina
An aerial view of flood damage wrought by Hurricane Helene along the Swannanoa River on October 3, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. FEMA and other emergency-management whistleblowers allege the agency wasted funds, withheld pre-disaster aid and was slow to deploy first responders and service members to help with recovery efforts
‘FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!
‘They just took this video a few hours ago, where you can see the level of devastation: roads, houses, electricity, water supply and ground Internet connections completely destroyed.
‘FEMA wouldn’t let them land to deliver critical supplies … my blood is boiling.’
The federal government’s disaster response agency has been painfully slow to deploy first responders to help Hurricane Helene victims and making things worse of the ground, multiple whistleblowers told DailyMail.com.
One FEMA whistleblower revealed the department has wasted and misappropriated funds in the wake of Helene and is now ‘exacerbating the emergency.’
The letter also alleges ‘hundreds if not thousands’ of first responders and service members have been ‘without deployment orders’ with some waiting around in hotels while others ‘have sat idle’ as Americans throughout the southeast are in dire need.
Musk said it’s ‘not just SpaceX’ being prevented from dropping donations.
‘They won’t let anyone help,’ he said.
Musk shared aerial footage of his SpaceX in the sky above North Carolina
Entire towns were washed away during the category 4 storm
Musk’s post was inundated with people saying it was ‘disgusting’ that residents were being denied aid.
‘This is unforgivable,’ one person said.
FEMA has boosted and promoted select volunteer organizations throughout the disaster response, urging anyone impacted by the hurricane to reach out to the American Red Cross, who has ‘more than 850 trained disaster workers’ on the ground.
Musk’s allegation that FEMA wouldn’t allow his crew to provide Starlinks came just a day after the organization revealed it had distributed ‘over 60 Starlink units to multiple states in support of Hurricane Helene response efforts.’
In a statement, FEMA said that included ’40 units to North Carolina with more on the way’, and said they were ‘in the process of purchasing additional units.’
‘One of FEMA’s tools for emergency communications is Starlink, a mobile unit that allows customers high-speed internet by connecting to satellites.
‘FEMA has successfully deployed Starlink in previous disasters including Guam, Hawaii and Alaska.
‘Because the unit is portable and weighs less than 15 pounds, FEMA can deliver it to the areas that need it most, bringing connectivity to over 100 users.’
FEMA has more than 500 staff on the ground in North Carolina alone, and claim to have offered support to over 2,100 survivors.
A member of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force searches a flood-damaged property
A drone view shows the North Fork Swannanoa River, where construction crews work to repair the road and the water line
Pictured: The carnage in downtown Marshall, North Carolina
President Joe Biden brushed off critics of his hurricane response after returning from a trip touring storm damage – saying people battered by the storm were ‘very happy’ with government assistance.
When asked about the storm, his initial response was: ‘I’m thinking what storm are you talking about.’
The 81-year-old defended his administration’s relief Thursday night after a storm damage tour that took him to Florida and Georgia.
‘They’re getting everything they need,’ Biden said. ‘They’re very happy, across the board.’
Former president Donald Trump has been one of the most vocal critics of the current administration for their response to the crisis.
‘This is the worst response in the history of hurricanes,’ Trump said in Michigan Thursday. ‘Kamala spent all her FEMA money—billions of dollars—on housing for illegal migrants.’
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk