FEMA accused of playing victim after insisting criticism of Helene’s manner ‘dangerous’: ‘Audacity’

The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) argued Sunday that it is “dangerous” to criticize the agency’s response to Hurricane Helene.

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Deanne Criswell addressed public outrage over the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, warning that “false” narratives spread online about the agency’s handling of the hurricane could hamper efforts FEMA for recovery.

“Being able to get outside has a huge impact on the comfort level of our employees, but it’s also demoralizing for all first responders… FEMA staff, volunteers,” she told host George Stephanopoulos. “I need to make sure I can get resources where they are needed, and the kind of dangerous rhetoric you hear is causing fear among our people.”

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Her comments were met with immediate backlash online, with critics blasting the top disaster relief official for playing the victim role in a crisis of this scale.

“In times of crisis, the important thing to remember is to protect the feelings of FEMA workers,” Grabien founder Tom Elliott wrote alongside a clip of Crisewell’s appearance on ABC.

“The comfort level of hurricane victims is now much more important to me than the comfort level of FEMA workers,” commented writer Kristen Weg.

“FEMA chief Deanne Criswell says criticizing her agency is ‘dangerous.’ Audacity,” wrote conservative journalist Ian Miles Cheong.

“At a time when people have lost everything, roads are impassable and cities have disappeared from the map, remember the real victims: FEMA workers,” wrote Curtis Houk, editor-in-chief of NewsBusters.

“Incredible. Criticism creates “fear.” What a game the bureaucrats are playing. The same goes for the FBI, IRS, HHS, DHS, etc. “Don’t criticize us. It’s terrifying. We feel threatened,” said podcaster Chris Stigall.

The Biden administration has come under fire for its allegedly inadequate response to the devastation left by Helene. Since last Friday, the death toll in the southeastern states hardest hit by the storm has risen to 224, and more than 100 people have died in western North Carolina alone.

Former President Trump accused the agency of obstructing relief efforts in Republican areas in a post on Truth Social last week after reports spread of delayed aid in some communities.

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Republican elected officials, Elon Musk and volunteers have also spoken out against the government’s response to the hurricane as crews continue to search for missing people and bodies throughout the affected region.

Musk accused FEMA of blocking Starlink satellite Internet deliveries to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina, writing in X: “FEMA not only fails to adequately help people in trouble, it actively blocks citizens who try to help!” In a response to FOX Business, FEMA categorically denied these claims.

House Speaker Mike Johnson he sharply criticized the agency’s aid efforts, calling the federal government’s response “an abject failure.”

Criswell strongly rejected the claims made by Trump and his allies as “ridiculous and simply false.”

“This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people. You know, it’s a real shame that we put politics over helping people and that’s what we’re here to do,” she told Stephanopoulos.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday that FEMA does not have enough resources to get through hurricane season, which runs through November. The department issued a clarification, emphasizing that FEMA has the funds needed for the “immediate response and recovery” following Helene’s death.

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FEMA said it also created a rumor response page to combat misinformation or narratives online about how they are handling the hurricane.

FEMA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.