FEMA has faced criticism and praise during Helene. Here's what it does — and doesn't do

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is tasked with helping states and communities hit by disasters like Hurricane Helene.

With Helene hitting during the homestretch of an election year, the agency has been criticized by some residents and politicians, like Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who have questioned its response and are spreading false information that its funding is going to migrants or foreign wars.

The Biden administration has defended FEMA's work and says it has the money it needs to help communities right now.

President Joe Biden does say the agency will need more cash in the future. Climate change is making storms like hurricanes more severe.

There are a lot of misperceptions about FEMA's role in disaster recovery, what it does — and does not — pay for and what residents in hurricane-hit areas can expect.

Here's a closer look:

What does FEMA do and where does it get its money?

FEMA has an operating budget and a disaster relief fund. The fund gets replenished every year by Congress and is used to pay for recovery from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. FEMA also pays for rebuilding from past disasters and for projects designed to protect communities against future calamity.

“This is kind of like the emergency account for the country,” said Samantha L. Montano, an assistant professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Congress recently replenished the fund with $20 billion — the same amount FEMA got last year. About $8 billion of that is set aside for recovery from previous storms and mitigation projects.

The federal government doesn't help with every disaster — it generally has to be above the ability of a community or state to handle. In