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

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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. In a letter late Friday to congressional leaders, he wrote that “while FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund has the resources it requires right now to meet immediate needs, the fund does face a shortfall at the end of the year.” He also called on lawmakers to act quickly to restore funding to the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program.

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.

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