Americans with military and law enforcement experience stepped in to help save hurricane survivors in North Carolina without assistance from the federal government.
“FEMA is out of money. They just announced this. … We have money to put anywhere else in the world – this administration does – but we don’t have money within FEMA, a federal emergency management agency, to help our citizens. Here in the United States,” Copps said. Direct founder and CEO Aaron Negerbon told Fox News Digital.
The comments came as relief efforts continued in North Carolina, a state experiencing widespread devastation. Hurricane Helena.
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Volunteers load supplies into helicopters to reach victims stranded by Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct Police)
But these efforts have also become a political hot potato as the election approaches, with critics criticizing the federal government's response to natural disasters.
“They are offering their $750 to anyone whose home was destroyed.” Former President Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend. “And yet we send billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They are offering them $750. They are ruined. These people are ruined.”
After Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned last week that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “does not have the funds to survive” during the hurricane season, lawmakers requested a stopgap measure to replenish the relief fund. humanitarian aid from the agency. criticism. DRF) with US$20 billion, according to a report by Rádio Pública Nacional.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris Critics of the administration's response have argued that it is fueling “confusion.”
“There is a lot of misinformation and confusion spread by the former president, especially to Helen’s survivors,” Harris said. “It's incredibly irresponsible: it's about him, it's not about you. And the reality is that FEMA has a lot of resources available to people who desperately need them.”
Negerbon said his and other organizations have chosen to “support and help our fellow Americans when they need help.”
A warehouse of supplies that will be delivered to victims of Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct Police)
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“I can tell you my phone has been ringing and my email has been ringing all day with requests from agencies that need our support,” he said. “One jurisdiction, one county, one community is hearing about what Cops Direct is doing and all of a sudden they are telling the next county and so on, our phones are ringing.”
One way Cops Direct and others can help is by transporting much-needed emergency supplies to residents who have been swept away and impassable by storms that have destroyed many roads and traditional routes to homes.
Ross Johnson, owner of TacMed, a company that provides emergency medical supplies for use in battlefield law enforcement, told Fox News Digital that he used his skills as a pilot and a large network of other pilots to use helicopters to help deliver victims. quickly.
“There was no way to go anywhere. So I said, 'Hey, 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 area he helps, although he noted the agency is likely helping elsewhere.
Bottled water is being delivered to victims of Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct Police)
“I’m not saying they’re not doing anything. I'm sure they have a role. And we know that they are a large organization that has a response time. (…) It takes time to move this machine,” he said.
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Instead, Johnson said he focused his efforts on areas where his skills as a pilot could be most beneficial.
“We’re in the mountains,” Johnson said. “Space accessible by helicopter.”
Pallets of supplies will be delivered to victims of Hurricane Helen in North Carolina. (Direct Police)
Johnson also noted that those in North Carolina who are taking on the relief effort are volunteering their time and effort and their own resources in hopes of making a difference for those whose lives have been affected by natural disasters.
“They are really people who just want to do good. You know, we're local. We know the area. These are our neighbors and we have a way to help them. And that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We are not Uber Eats… We are not making money from this. We are just a few people who have access to the right tools for this job, at least right now.”
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
